VERDI
LUISA MILLER
The scene is an Alpine village in the Tyrol -- on one side, the modest
house where Miller, a retired
soldier, lives with his daughter
Luisa; on the other side, a rustic church; in the distance, a glimpse of the castle where the powerful Count
Walter has come to reside.
Dawn is rising on an auspicious day
-- Luisa’s birthday -- and for her an occasion of special turmoil
mingled with joy. She is in love for
the first time in her life, and her love is requited. Her friends gather to do the honors. But her father worries.
Little is known about the young man, named Carlo, who has arrived on the
scene only recently -- at the same
time, in fact, that Count Walter did.
MILLER:
Daughter, love so recent,
And furthermore your first,
Could lead to grave disappointment.
Oh, pray to heaven your heart be not misguided!
He’s a man known to none . . .
Connected with the new lord . . .
Aside from that, who is this Carlo?
I worry.
Luisa has no doubts whatever of
his honor nor of his intentions:
LUISA:
I saw him once, and radiant,
My heart with rapture bounded.
In turn his heart responded
To soar where mine had flown.
A love so perfect granted.
For sure, this seed was planted
To blossom in heaven alone.
When we meet Carlo he indeed seems the epitome of a fine young man,
ardent, idealistic, and wholeheartedly in love with Luisa:
RODOLFO: (Carlo)
More than a million words can say,
Longer than life and unto death,
My love’s a fire that lights the day
And burns until my final breath.
To you am I so wedded
That after life is over
I shall remain your lover
Above in paradise.
But Miller’s misgivings are soon confirmed. Wurm, ruthless, unscrupulous,
passionate in his own way, a
retainer of the new Count Walter, has
also had his eye on Luisa. Jealous and
resentful, angry at Miller for not coercing his daughter into marrying him, he
retaliates by revealing the truth about Carlo:
he is an imposter, concealing his background, masquerading under a false
name. None other, in fact, than
Rodolfo, son of Count Walter. Miller
is horrified. Clearly aware that such
an unequal marriage is out of the question, he foresees the collapse of his
daughter’s hopes. She will be
victimized, doomed certainly to disappointment and despair, possibly to dishonor and disgrace.
Rodolfo is unafraid. He, too, has a power over the Count, his father, albeit one that he would use only as a last resort -- a secret that, if revealed, would bring the Count to his knees. His bravado will soon be put to the test.
ACT TWO
Although Count Walter apparently retreated when Rodolfo threatened to
reveal his guilty secret behind his rise to eminence, he is far from abandoning
his efforts to coerce his son into an advantageous marriage. And Wurm is equally far from abandoning his
designs on Luisa.
The Count has little to fear if he chooses to throw his weight around,
provided that his son is kept in the dark.
It is a simple matter to have Miller surreptitiously dragged off to a
prison cell. Equally simple to invoke
the death penalty on a trumped up charge of subversion -- that vaguest and
deadliest of all crimes -- unless Luisa decides to save her father. Wurm spells out the price that she must
pay:
WURM:
The Count, though offended, has
made an offer:
If you merely write a letter,
In turn he will promise
The freedom of your father . . . Write this:
“Wurm: God forbid! Rodolfo I never loved.
His rank and fortune I soon discovered,
And by deceiving him, tried to catch him . . .
Blinded by ambition, I lost my head.
Forgive me.
My love for you has conquered . . .”
Inside the castle, Count Walter struggles with his conscience. Nonetheless, he is determined to carry out
what he considers his duty as a father,
however harsh:
COUNT WALTER:
Stark, raving madness!
Youth misled by beauty,
Ruled by desire and passion,
Not by the mind.
It falls then to the father
To fill the void.
Though the task is heavy,
Let me not yield or weaken.
In line of duty, pity would be
cruel.
But it must be admitted that he
is in the grip of fear for his own skin as well, now that he knows that his son
knows his guilty secret -- the foul
deed that may yet destroy both himself and Wurm.
The fatal letter finds its way to Rodolfo -- proof in writing, in her own writing -- that his beloved Luisa
has been deceiving him all along.
RODOLFO:
Oh, could I deny my senses!
Disbelieve my eyes!
Could earth and heaven, all the
host of angels
Plead her cause, reassure me,
Swear that she is guiltless . . . They’re liars! . . .
Cold-blooded harlot! A soul
black as Hades!
Shrewd and scheming . . .
How well my father knew her!
The vows of devotion! Looking
forward,
Our joys and agonies . . .
Calm, tranquil, after set of sun,
Pale stars were barely lighted.
We gazed into eternity,
Together in love united.
Her tender hand I held in mine,
Her touch so warm and yet naive,
Her look of love so passionate
I thought her mine forever . . .
All lies and make-believe!
A cruel make-believe!
ACT THREE
Luisa is crushed by a double sorrow: forced into betraying her lover, she believes that he has also betrayed her. Although her sacrifice has saved her father’s life, what reason does she herself have to go on living?
Under my gravestone
Scattered with flowers,
I shall sleep gently,
No more to suffer.
None but the pitiless,
None but the coward
Quiver in terror
When death rides over.
True-hearted lovers
Faithful whatever,
Find in that shadow
No trace of fear.
For like an angel
It beckons to heaven,
Where love eternal
Sits radiant and clear.