Stiffelio

The action takes place at Count Stankar’s castle in Germany at the beginning of the 19^th Century

ACT I

Scene One – A hall in Count Stankar’s castle

Jorg, an elderly minister, awaits his fellow clergyman Stiffelio, who has just returned home from a trip. Stiffelio tells his household about an incident related to him by a boatman. Eight days ago, the boatman saw a man jump from a window into the water below, leaving behind a distressed woman. He recovered the fleeing man’s papers and gave them to Stiffelio. Not wishing to learn about a possibly illicit relationship, Stiffelio throws the papers into the fire without looking at them. Lina, his wife, and Raffaele, a nobleman, express relief, for it was they whom the boatman had seen. Stankar suspects his daughter has been seduced by Raffaele and vows revenge.

Left alone with his wife, Stiffelio notices her reserve. As he takes Lina’s hand, he sees she is no longer wearing his deceased mother’s ring. When she doesn’t tell him where it is, Stiffelio suspects her of infidelity.

Alone, Lina begs God’s pardon. She begins to write a letter of confession to Stiffelio but is stopped by her father, who accuses her of cowardice, ordering her to maintain silence so Stiffelio may preserve his honor.

When father and daughter leave, Raffaele enters with a note for Lina, asking for a meeting. Unaware that he is being watched by Jorg, Raffaele locks the note in a bound volume.

Scene Two – A reception hall in the castle, lit for a party

A gathering to honor Stiffelio is taking place. Jorg tells the minister that a note locked within a book hides the details of an assignation. When asked about the evening’s sermon, Stiffelio announces that it will be on Judas Iscariot’s betrayal. Stiffelio demands his wife unlock the book. She hesitates, the minister breaks open the lock, and the note falls to the floor. Seizing the note and tearing it to shreds, Stankar tells Stiffelio he will never know its secrets. When Stiffelio turns on him, Lina begs that her husband’s rage fall upon her, instead of her elderly father. Unheard by the crowd, Stankar accuses Raffaele of treachery and challenges him to a duel in the graveyard.

INTERMISSION

ACT II
An old cemetery

That evening Lina finds herself among the tombstones in the cemetery. She stops at her mother’s grave and asks her mother to pray to God in her behalf. When Raffaele arrives, Lina tells him she never loved him and demands the return of her ring and the letters she wrote.

Stankar arrives and orders Lina to leave. Once she is gone, he offers Raffaele a sword. At first the younger man refuses to fight, saying their chances are not equal, but Stankar goads him into taking up the sword.

The duel is soon interrupted by Stiffelio who rebukes them for fighting on holy ground, and orders them to forgive each other. Unwittingly Stankar reveals that Raffaele is the man who betrayed Stiffelio. When Lina returns, Stiffelio at first refuses to believe her guilt, but becomes convinced when she doesn’t stand up for herself. Stiffelio seizes Stankar’s sword and challenges his rival. Music is heard from the church and Jorg comes to remind the minister that his followers await him.

INTERMISSION

ACT III
Scene One – An antechamber with doors leading to various rooms
Filled with shame, Stankar considers taking his own life. When Jorg informs him that Raffaele is there to meet with Stiffelio, the count resolves that this time the duel to avenge his family’s honor will end in death. He leaves, and Stiffelio confronts Raffaele. When the minister asks his rival what he would do if Lina were free to marry, Raffaele is unable to answer. Raffaele is escorted into a side room so he may listen while Stiffelio talks to Lina.

Handing his wife a decree of divorce for her signature, Stiffelio says he will leave that evening. Lina protests her husband’s action, declaring she will always love him. Unable to sway Stiffelio, Lina signs the document, then asks to address him, not as her husband but as a minister of God. She confesses that she always loved Stiffelio and was tricked into betrayal. As Stiffelio declares that it is his right to kill Raffaele, Stankar enters with a bloody sword. He has killed his daughter’s seducer. Lina implores God to pity her as Stiffelio is taken to church by Jorg.

Scene Two – The interior of a church

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Stiffelio’s congregation sings a hymn asking God’s mercy as Stankar and Lina pray for forgiveness. When Stiffelio notices Lina he is taken aback but seeks strength in order to deliver his sermon. He opens the Bible to the story of Jesus and the adulteress. As Stiffelio reads the pardon of the sinner, he turns towards Lina and recites the words directly to her: “And the woman arose, forgiven.”

World Premiere: Teatro Grande, Trieste, Italy, November 16, 1850

Photos from Sarasota Opera's 2005 production of Stiffelio by Debra Hesser.