Stiffelio (1993 TV Movie) User Reviews

A Doll's House

[Gyran · 8/10 · 7 May 2006]

Have you ever played a party game where you improvise a writer's work in another writer's style: Noddy and Big Ears in the style of Quentin Tarantino, Hamlet in the style of Harold Pinter, that sort of thing. Well Stiffelio is a bit like Ibsen's Doll's House in the style of Verdi.

Italian audiences in 1850 must have been bemused. A protestant minister learns that his wife has been having an affair. Rather than kill her, as you expect in an Italian opera, he first divorces her and then publicly forgives her. Verdi was disappointed by the failure of the work and rewrote it as Araldo, the hero being a more acceptable Crusader rather than a protestant minister. The score of Stiffelio was lost for more than 100 years and it was not until 1993 that a performing version by Sir Edward Downes brought the work back into public prominence.

Sir Edward conducts this performance from Covent Garden. Jose Carreras as Stiffelio is rather…er, stiff, but that is consistent with the role. Catherine Malfitano as Lina gives a superbly acted and sung performance as the wife torn between her lover and her honourable husband. She has several tour de force arias. Strangely there is no applause after them. I would be surprised if director Brian Large had edited out the applause; it seems that the Covent Garden audience is just being more uptight than it usually is. Also notable in the cast is Gregory Yurisch as Stankar, Lina's father. The excellent scene between Malfitano and Yurisch is like a dry run for Act II of Traviata.

The sets and the costumes are, as you might expect, pure Ibsen. The overall effect is fascinating and well worth seeing although feminists may bristle at the end when Lina throws herself at Stiffelio's feet in gratitude for his magnanimity.

Underrated Verdi given justice in this performance...

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 14 March 2012]

I do consider Stiffelio one of Verdi's most underrated works. While the 19th century approach to dishonouring father and husband may seem dated to some and the story is somewhat disjointed- though while not as compelling as Macbeth or as thematically interesting as Luisa Miller(though much more intense dramatically) is much more eventful than those of Giovanna D'Arco and I Due Foscari. However the characters are human and interesting, especially Stiffelio, and the music is gorgeous and emotionally complex, sort of a transition from the Bel-Canto-influenced style of Verdi's early works to the maturity of Rigoletto.

The Act 2 scene between Lina and her father Stankar stands out especially. I'll be honest though in saying I am not huge fan of the Overture(disappointing considering the amazing overtures of I Vespri Siciliani and particularly La Forza Del Destino), the tunes are great I give you that but it is somewhat overlong and a little lacking structurally.

Stiffelio is an opera that is fairly new to me, and thanks to this production and the Met production with Domingo, Sweet, Chernov and Plishka(which I do prefer just) I am very glad I heard it. This production does this underrated opera justice, almost everything about it is truly excellent, often outstanding. It is more than acceptable visually, with opulent settings and costumes that do look beautiful. The video direction as ever from Brian Large is exemplary, and the lighting, picture quality and sound are also fine, if not quite as impressive as the Met production(that DVD is still one of the more beautiful-looking DVDs in my extensive opera collection).

Musically I have few complaints. The orchestra sears with intensity, yet leaves room for some sensitivity as well. Edward Downes' conducting is occasionally rigid but overall it is musical and commanding, if just lacking the excitement and emotional complexity that Levine conveyed in the Met performance. In all fairness though it is really a singers' opera rather than a conductor's opera. And the cast are superb, apart from one. Robin Legatte as Raffaele.

Okay Raffaele is not the opera's most interesting character, but you could at least make him engaging. Legatte, I'm afraid, never really convinced me as Lina's lover, and I never felt he really connected with Malfitano either. Even when he is caressing her I never felt he had any real affection for Lina. Instead I got the sense his mind was on other things, like were my hands clean enough, or something. I've also never liked his voice much, I find it too nasal to be appealing.

Catherine Malfitano, herself a great Tosca, Cio-Cio San and Salome, however is superb. Her voice is of a true lyric-spinto, Sweet in the Met production perhaps was more expressive, but Malfitano is more thrilling to listen to I find. I have always considered her a fine singing actress, especially in her Mad-scene-like Act 3 in Tosca, and this is no exception. She is every bit the sympathetic wife that Lina should be, with an expressive face and elegant posture, as well as great, and not excessive use of her hands.

Gregory Yurisich is a splendid Stankar, another Verdi opera father figure, like Giacomo, Nabucco, Germont, Rigoletto and Simon Boccanegra. In fact, of the admittedly few times I've seen Yurisich as of now, this is my favourite performance of his so far. I found his portrayal stern, honourable and sympathetic, and while Chernov has more colour vocally, his voice is rich and pleasant to listen to. His father-daughter duets with Malfitano are a joy, tender and benevolent, like the Rigoletto duets and Ditta Alla Giuvine from La Traviata.

As Jorg, Gwynne Howell is suitably stoic and compassionate as the voice of reason character, something I find quite mesmerising and true of both Howell here and Plishka for the Met. Again, comparing the two, this time vocally, Howell's voice is a little more beautiful than Plishka's(mellow and very rounded, perfect for the more sympathetic bass roles such as Jorg, Padre Guardiano and occasionally with King Phillip) and just as sonorous and powerful.

I was really surprised by Jose Carreras and in a good way. Now I like Carreras, in his prime he had a beautiful voice and capable of wonderful soft singing, perfect for roles like Rodolfo(Boheme) and Alfredo(Traviata). This is not Carreras in his prime, while the voice is still musical and has some beauty there is also some harshness and strain possibly from taking on too many heavy roles too early or more likely from his leukaemia. Initially I was worried about him taking on this title role, it is by far the most difficult role of Stiffelio and one of Verdi's more difficult tenor roles, perhaps second only to Otello. However, while I do still think his voice is a little too lyric perhaps than what the music demands, he sings intelligently and musically, and while a tad stiff in places he like Domingo does bring intensity to the role and even manages to be a little more subtle.

Regarding Moshinsky's stage direction it is generally great, the duets between Stiffelio and Lina are intense and the duets between Stankar and Lina tender and equally riveting. Only the scenes with Raffaele aren't as convincing. But my favourite touch was the part where Stiffelio returns and gives presents to the children who greet him, and there is one girl who he smiles encouragingly at and strokes her face. Call me a sentimentalist, but I found that really sweet, maybe more a Carreras touch rather than a Moshinsky or a Verdi touch, but a touch that I loved. All in all, a great production, the Met production I may prefer, but I recommend them both highly. 9/10 Bethany Cox