Luisa Fernanda is an enigma in the history of Spanish Opera. Born in Seville on 7 February 1931, she was probably very little by traditional standards as her parents were both born into high class families. However, her beauty, talent and early stage performances made her the perfect candidate for the theater. She spent most of her early years in Spain working as a dancer before breaking into the theater. After a brief return to Spain to study ballet, she found both her talent and her nationality missing in the new style of drama that was emerging at that time.
Luisa Fernanda is first seen in her first professional opera, Le Sante Percher. It was not a very good fit for her because she was never comfortable on stage, nor did she have the sort of facial expression required for successful dramatic work. Her career spanned mainly what was known at the time as the “days of wood and steel” and she would not feature until the final years of her life. Her greatest performances were as a character in Donizetti’s “La Traviata” and as Maria in Camillo Sadowsky’s” Carmen”. These were, however, prequels to her greatest triumphs as Lola in Richard Wagner’s “The Tragic Affair”.
The story of Lola begins with her arranged marriage to an affluent young man from Verona. As time passes, however, their relationship develops and they are soon separated. Shortly thereafter, Lola falls ill in bed and is taken to a rehabilitation center where doctors treat her for an unknown illness. It is here that she realizes that her illness has been caused by her excessive self-pity and so she resolves to change her life and give up her opulence. It is here that we first meet the Count, who is not happy about Lola’s condition, as he wants her to return home.