RECALLING GIUSEPPE VERDI

Verdi was born in October 1821.

He died in January 1901.

He was an independent thinker who wrote many great operas.

He had some tragedies in life. Sometimes he had to face obstacles and his operas were not received well initially.

In 1821 Austria and Russia invaded Italy. Russian soldiers pillaged and came to the small village where the Verdi’s lived. Mother and child hid in a church where the soldiers entered.

Verdi was not given admission in the Milan Conservatory.

There have been controversies as to why: Was it age-bar or prejudice on the part of the examiner? Now the Milan Conservatory named after him.

In 1835 Verdi married the daughter of a well wisher in Busseto where he had a contract for playing organ in a church.

When the church contract was over he went with his wife and two little children to Milan.

COMMISSION FOR OPERA. 1840 Tragedies

Verdi needed money for paying rent. Could not borrow. His wife pawned jewelry. Their child became sick and died.

The same thing happened to their little daughter. Then his wife died.

All this happened within the year in 1840.

OPERA BUFFA

Verdi wrote the opera buffa Un Giorno di Regno while he was grieving.

The story was about the Polish King Stanislaus.

The opera was a total failure and Verdi was very disappointed.

Interestingly, its revival in 20^th century was a grand success.

DECISION TO GIVE UP

At one point Verdi wanted to give up writing operas. Once he tried to break a contract he had signed. Merelli dissuaded in vain.

VABUCCO

Then one day he met Merelli by chance on at a pub.

Merelli said he was looking for music for an opera. Verdi gave something he had written before. Merelli thrust the libretto of Nabucco in Verdi’s hands. Verdi went home and threw it on a table.

Va, pensiero sull’ali dorate caught his eyes.

MUSICAL OUTPUT

Verdi wrote more than 35 operas, many songs, some sacred music BS A Ruquiem for Rossini.

Several songs, some Sacred Music and a Requiem for Rossini.

His major operas include

Nabucco – 1842,

Rigoletto – 1851

La Traviata – 1853

Aida – 1871.

Some of his less well-known operas include

Il trovatore – 1853

Simone Boccanegra – 1857

Un ballo en maschera – 1859

Macbeth – 1865

Don Carlos – 1867

Otello – 1887

Falstaff – 1893

Verdis’s least famous operas include:

Luisa Miller – 1849

Il Stiffelio – 1850

Les Vepres Siciliennes – 1855

La Forza del Destino – 1862

A BANNED OPERA

Le Roi s’amuse was an 1932 play by Victor Hugo’s play.

Verdi turned it into an opera , but it had only one performance because it was banned: It was about a lewd king.

The Austrian government banned Verdi’s opera.

A policeman suggested that the king should be made into a duke. Verdi did that, changing the title to Rigoletto, Buffone di Corte.

The opera Stiffelio (1850) was not a great success in Trieste, nor in any other place. It was about a Protestant priest who has an affair and repents. Its title changed to Aroldo.

Un Ballo en Maschera was based on Auber’s work on Gustave III.

It was about the assassination attempt of Napoleon. Be the locale was changed to Boston

LA TRAVIATA

This opera was based on a story by Dumas Fils. It is the story of a

bad woman.

At this time Verdi was living with a mistress: So both Verdi and the opera were shunned. Indeed its first performance a failure, because of a bad singer and a, reluctant actor.

Don Carlo resulted from a commission for Universal Exhibition. in April 1866

Verdi arrived in Paris, very ill. There were lots of delay.

On January 15 Verdi’s father died.

There were also some legal problems. Some artists refused to play the assigned role

But the first performance was well attended, including by many by big-wigs. But it did not get high praise.

Verdi famously said: “I adore art… when I am alone with my notes, my heart pounds and the tears stream from my eyes, and my emotion and my joys are too much to bear.

Some of these may be available tp watch:

Nabucco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUUVnJjkcAM

Un giorno