"Luisa Miller" by Giuseppe Verdi

The early works of Giuseppe Verdi coincided with the awakening of the Italian nation. The composer seized on that swelling sense of nationhood, which reflected his own political beliefs, to rouse the people's patriotic fervour with fierce operas dominated by valiant acts of heroism. Yet Luisa Miller (1849) marked a spectacular change of direction by exploring the lives of the most ordinary folk for the first time. The dolorous figure of the father, the complex character of Luisa herself, and the  vehemence of Rodolfo represented an ineluctable transformation in Verdi's approach. The grand hero exits the stage, to be replaced by a deeper cast of characters. Through the acts, the cabaletta aria structure gives way to much more varied forms, as the music bends to the emotions of the characters. While Luisa's entrance bears all the decorative hallmarks of the operas of Verdi's earlier years, her aria in act II is revealing of a new, more psychologically thoughtful and eminently dramatic style. The writing of the final act, freed from the older formal constraints, is emotionally pitch perfect. Lasting under three hours, Luisa Miller is a captivating spectacle that shows how the prodigy of Italian opera metamorphosed into a true universal genius. 

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