Verdi: Luisa Miller – Marina Rebeka

   in Classical Music (Jul, 2018)
Verdi’s Luisa Miller re-entered the repertoire in a major way when Monsterrat Caballé and then Katia Ricciarelli assumed the title role in the 1960s and ’70s, the latter taking it to all the major houses. Since then it is usually mounted for a soprano with the requisite lyric grace and flexibility as well as an ability to tug at the heart strings. Marina Rebeka certainly clears all those hurdles in her first outing with the role, recorded in concert in Munich (2017). She possesses limpid tone, fleet coloratura and vocal steel when required. One perhaps would only like a touch more character, which hopefully will come if she gets the opportunity …