(Photo: Marcello Orselli) The seventeenth of Verdi’s twenty-six operas, “Il trovatore” (1853) is considered the archetypal senseless opera, thanks to its convoluted and highly implausible plot. So absurd is its premise that it was used in the Marx Brothers’ “A Night at the Opera” (1935) to elicit laughs. But despite this, “Il trovatore” has remained one of the most popular {…}
(Credit @Ennevi/Verona Arena Foundation) “Ernani” (1844), Verdi’s fifth opera, is possibly the finest of his early period. More than any of his preceding works, it marks a drastic change from bel canto operas of the time in two respects. Firstly, the libretto, until then of secondary importance, was pivotal, as bel canto was mostly about beautiful voices, especially the soprano’s. {…}
(Photo : ©Gianni Cravedi) When “Stiffelio” premiered in 1850, Giuseppe Verdi was going through a period of transition: he had left behind his so-called “galley years” yet had not fully reached artistic maturity. It is precisely in this phase that “Stiffelio” emerged, revealing itself as a bold experiment: deeply modern in its approach to human conflict and, at the same {…}
Listening to Verdi’s Requiem in Milan is a privilege imbued with an artistic sacredness, if one may so venture to say, that borders on the sanctity of the liturgy itself. The Requiem was premiered in this very city, at the Church of San Marco, more than 150 years ago, followed by its debut at Teatro alla Scala. Thus, reviving this {…}
(Photo: Padraig Grant) Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” premiered at Rome’s Teatro Apollo in 1853 and proved to be an immediate box office success that led to further productions across Italy, Europe, and the Americas. Following its Parisian premiere at the Théâtre Italien in 1854, Verdi was commissioned to adapt it for a production at the city’s Opéra, which required changes to {…}
(Photo: Marc Brenner/Royal Ballet & Opera) Entombing doom in monochrome, director Robert Carsen’s 2022 production of “Aïda” buries its protagonists before they’re dead. Façades of forced conformity define it – popping through parades of khaki uniforms, authentic footage of exploding bombs and regimented training. A fictitious flag that features stars and stripes across red, white and blue confirm its commentary {…}
I will never die. But when if I do—certainly after 2300—, I want to be mourned with Verdi’s “Requiem.” No discussion. Few musical moments are more rewarding than the first tenor “Kyrie,” breaking into the orchestral mass, abashing any feelings that are not of heroic repentance. I simply love it. However, such strong personal preference creates rigid expectations of how {…}
Verdi’s “I Vespri Siciliani” was last on the stage in Naples back in 2011, featuring the original French version created by the composer for the Opera de Paris in 1855. This year, however, Teatro San Carlo is showcasing the Italian rendition, which is more commonly performed in Italy, without the ballet sequences. The narrative, crafted by Eugene Scribe’s libretto, revolves {…}
Credit: © OMC-Marco Borrelli On Sunday November 26th, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo gave the final performance of its first staged opera of the season, a new production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” in the four-act Italian version of 1884. The staging was entrusted to the Turin-based Davide Livermore, scenographer Giò Forma, costume designer Sofia Tasmagambetova and Video designer D-WOK. Although Livermore {…}
(Callas greeting fans. Credit: © Archiv Lebeck.) Editor’s Note: In anticipation of the release of “The Callas Imprint: A Centennial Biography” on Dec. 2, 2023, OperaWire is sharing a preview. “Greatness” is a noun too frequently assigned to humans. Victims of this label view the happening of “genius” as a capricious, “limited time only” gift. Here we follow Callas on {…}
(Credit: Michele Crosera) After 1,100 years as an independent state, Napoleon’s invasion of Venice in 1797 brought the Venetian Republic to an end. Once the Queen of the Adriatic, with an empire extending throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, it has since been reduced to a small city in the north-east of Italy, with a declining population and overrun by tourists. Unfortunately, {…}