Luisa Miller

Luisa loves Rodolfo, Rodolfo loves Luisa - it could be that simple. If only social class differences and the boundless mistrust of their fathers did not keep the lovers apart. Rodolfo, born into the aristocracy, is meant - according to his power-obsessed and ruthless father—to marry a socially suitable bride, while Luisa’s father warns his daughter against the equally passionate and unpredictable Rodolfo. The steadfastness of the young couple sets in motion a terrible downward spiral of desire, intrigue, and devotion, which can only end in all-consuming tragedy. Verdi’s Luisa Miller is a musically highly emotional distillation of the classic Sturm und Drang material, becoming a work that exposes the depths of private life and the falsehood of public appearance.

With this staging of a psychological portrait of a love against all odds - doomed by family ties, notions of honour, and the question of all or nothing, by the flickering intimacy of two young people who push love to its very limits - director Stephan Kimmig presents himself in Linz for the first time.