TV Standard: NTSC
Color: Colour

Credits:

LE NUOVE MUSICHE/KRIJN KOETSVELD

Description:

Germany in the 19th century. Leena, the wife of Stiffelio, an evangelical minister, has a secret meeting with her young lover Raffaele while her husband is traveling. Angered by this, Stiffelio divorces Leena, and her father, Count Stanker, kills Raffaele in a duel. Stiffelio hesitates whether or not to forgive Rina, who weeps with remorse for her crime... Composed in 1850 and premiered in Trieste in the same year, the scandalous theme of an affair between a Protestant minister and his wife was censored, requiring a major revision of the work. Verdi, after much hesitation, decided to revise the work to reflect the times. After much hesitation, Verdi changed the time period and the city in which the opera was set, and seven years later, he reworked it as "Aroldo" to great critical acclaim. This work was highly acclaimed. The remarkable tenor Luciano Ganci sang Stiffelio's "majestic expression as a servant of God" and "human expression as a man distressed by his wife's infidelity," giving this difficult role a human warmth. Katzarava as Lina and Landolfi as her father Stanker also give wonderful performances, enlivening the work, while Saara's youthful singing as Raffaele is also appealing. Calvo, who brings the whole production together, makes the most of Verdi's lively rhythms and keeps the story moving at a brisk pace.This production is unique in that the story takes place on a stage set up with an audience surrounding it. The thrilling production, in which the audience watching the young couple's love and denouncing the sinners are all people watching the stage, has been the talk of the town, and the video won the 37th "Franco Abbiati" Music Critics Award and a special prize at the 2018 edition of the festival. Naxos Japan