Giuseppe Verdi

Romanticism

He dominated 19th-century Italian opera like no one else.

💡 Did you know? Verdi was the pre-eminent Italian opera composer of the 19th century and became the musical symbol of the Italian nation.

Italy

The Milan Conservatory rejected the innkeeper's son as a student: today it bears his name.

💡 Did you know? Two early tragedies (the death of his wife and both children within a few years) nearly made the young Verdi despair of composing.

Nabucco

Before it, having lost his wife and both children, Verdi had considered giving up composing.

💡 Did you know? After his family tragedy Verdi wanted to give up: only the libretto of „Nabucco“, especially the prisoners' chorus, rekindled his creative fire.

Va, pensiero

It became the unofficial anthem of Italy's unification movement: some still consider it a second national anthem.

💡 Did you know? The prisoners' chorus „Va, pensiero“, on longing for the homeland, became the unofficial anthem of the Italian unification movement.

Rigoletto, Il trovatore, La traviata

The 'trilogia popolare': cornerstones of every opera house to this day.

💡 Did you know? In just about two years Verdi created, with „Rigoletto“, „Il trovatore“ and „La traviata“, three of the most performed operas of all time.

La donna è mobile

Verdi kept the melody secret until the premiere: knowing all Venice would be singing it at once. He was right.

💡 Did you know? Verdi kept the catchy aria „La donna è mobile“ secret until the premiere, for fear it would be „whistled in the streets“ beforehand.

Cairo

The opera is set in ancient Egypt; its Triumphal March is among the most famous melodies in opera.

💡 Did you know? Verdi wrote „Aida“ on commission from the Egyptian viceroy: the opera premiered in Cairo in 1871, not in Italy.

Vittorio Emanuele Re D'Italia

Verdi's name served as an acronym of the unification movement; after unification he sat briefly in Italy's first parliament.

💡 Did you know? The cry „Viva Verdi!“ was a double code: it honoured the composer and at the same time stood for „Vittorio Emanuele, King of Italy“.

Alessandro Manzoni

Premiered in 1874 on the first anniversary of Manzoni's death; its 'Dies irae' is among the mightiest pages in choral music.

💡 Did you know? Verdi composed his mighty „Requiem“ in honour of the poet Alessandro Manzoni, whom he revered: so dramatic it was called „Verdi's greatest opera“.

Otello and Falstaff

'Otello' at nearly 74, the comedy 'Falstaff' at 79; he had set Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' decades earlier.

💡 Did you know? Only as a very old man did Verdi write, in „Otello“ and the comedy „Falstaff“ after Shakespeare, two final masterpieces.

Casa di Riposo

It still exists today; Verdi and his wife Giuseppina are buried there.

💡 Did you know? Verdi endowed a retirement home for needy musicians in Milan: the „Casa di Riposo“, which he called his „finest work“.

Milan

Hundreds of thousands lined the streets: singing 'Va, pensiero'.

💡 Did you know? At Verdi's death in 1901, hundreds of thousands lined the streets of Milan: spontaneously singing the prisoners' chorus „Va, pensiero“.

Giuseppe Verdi

Giuseppe Verdi was the pre-eminent Italian opera composer of the 19th century: famous for „Rigoletto“, „La traviata“ and „Aida“.

💡 Did you know? His prisoners' chorus „Va, pensiero“ became the unofficial anthem of the Italian unification movement.

La donna è mobile

The jaunty tenor aria from ‘Rigoletto’: an earworm about the fickleness of women.

💡 Did you know? Verdi kept the tune secret until the premiere so it wouldn't be ‘whistled in the streets’ beforehand.