Search results for ""Author Giuseppe Verdi""

Verdi's Attila, his ninth opera, had its premiere at Venice's Teatro La Fenice in March 1846. This title discusses the opera's origins, sources, and performance questions, and details editorial problems and their solutions.

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It used to be thought that Verdi miscalculated with this attempt at a “grand opera” in the French style. This guide demonstrates that Don Carlos was – and remains – an extraordinary achievement in melding two opposing visions of opera: the spectacular public aspect of the French tradition with the dramatic concision of the Italian. And because of the variety of versions which Verdi sanctioned, this debate is open-ended. Contents: A Grand Opera with a Difference, Julian Budden; Off the Beaten Track, Gilles de Van; “A Family Portrait in a Royal Household”: ‘Don Carlos’ from Schiller to Verdi, F.J. Lamport; Stendhal’s ‘Don Carlos’: “The most moving opera ever written”, by Nicholas Cronk; Don Carlos: Grand Opera in Five Acts by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle; Don Carlo: Italian translation by Achille de Lauzières and Angelo Zanardini with additional material translated by Piero Faggioni; Don Carlos: English translation by Andrew Porter; Introduction by Jennifer Batchelor

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‘La Traviata’ was Giuseppe Verdi’s eighteenth opera and shows him at the height of his middle-period powers. Adapted from ‘La Dame aux Camelias’ by Alexandre Dumas fils, it portrays the love between the courtesan Violetta Valery and the young Alfredo Germont in fashionable Parisian society, with its inevitable tragic outcome. It had its premiere at La Fenice in Venice in 1853 and has gone on to become one of the most performed and greatly loved of all operas. There are articles in the guide about Verdi’s preparations for the first performances, a musical commentary, an overview of the opera’s social background and an examination of how the libretto was adapted from Dumas’s play. Also included are a survey of important performances and performers, sixteen pages of illustrations, a musical thematic guide, the full libretto and English translation, a discography, bibliography and DVD and website guides.

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The Black Dog Opera Library is the best, easiest and most informative and budget-friendly way to enjoy four of the greatest operas of all time. Finally available again, and packaged with gorgeous new covers, each book in the library includes the complete opera on 2 CDs, featuring world-class performances and orchestras; the complete libretto, plus its English translation; an exciting history of the opera; a biography of the composer; a synopsis of the story, broken down by act and scene; and dozens of photographs and drawings depicting performances, singers, sets, costumes, and more.La Traviata featuring Beverly Sills, Nicolai Gedda, and Rolando Panerai, with Aldo Ceccato conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.Also available:La Boh?me featuring Nicolai Gedda and Mirella Freni, with Thomas Schippers conducting the Orchestro e Coro del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma; The Marriage of Figaro featuring Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Heather Harper, Judith Blegen, Geraint Evans, Teresa Berganza, and Birgit Finnil?, with Daniel Barenboim conducting the English Chamber Orchestra. Carmen featuring Grace Bumbry, Jon Vickers, Mirella Freni, and Kostas Paskalis, with Rafael Fru?beck de Burgos conducting the Orchestra of the Th??tre National de l'Op?ra.Listen. Enjoy. Learn.

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"La traviata" was initially far from a success, Verdi declared its 1853 premiere a "fiasco," and later reworked parts of five pieces in the first two acts, retaining the original setting for the rest. The first performance of the new version in 1854 was a tremendous success, and the opera was quickly taken up by theatres around the world. This critical edition presents the 1854 version as the main score, and also makes available the full score and the original 1853 settings of the revised pieces. For this text Fabrizio della Seta used the composer's autograph and many secondary sources, but also Verdi's previously unknown sketches. These sketches helped corroborate the original readings and illuminate the work's compositional stages. A detailed critical commentary discusses source problems and anbiguities.

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I complain bitterly of the editions of my last operas, made with such little care, and filled with an infinite number of errors. Giuseppe Verdi The University of Chicago Press, in collaboration with Casa Ricordi, has undertaken to publish the first critical edition of the complete works of Giuseppe Verdi. The series, based exclusively on original sources, is the only one to present authentic versions of all of the composer's works; together with his operas, the critical edition presents his songs, his choral music and sacred pieces, and his string quartet and other instrumental works. The Works of Giuseppe Verdi will be an invaluable standard reference work a necessary acquisition for all music libraries and a joy to own for all lovers of opera. The new series of study scores presents an adaptation of each critical edition that provides scholars with an affordable and portable option for exploring Verdi's oeuvre. The study scores have been designed to distinguish editors' marks from Verdi's own notations while remaining clear enough for use in performance. The introduction to each score discusses the work's sources, composition, and performance history, as well as performance practices, instrumentation, and problems of notation. The newest editions of the study scores examine two of Verdi's three-act operas: La traviata and Rigoletto.

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'See how the drama is turned into laughter,' comment the chorus, as they witness the destruction of a marriage and a friendship. Here Pierluigi Petrobelli shows how the irony woven into the tragedy (which strikes listeners today as so modern) results from the meeting of French and Italian operatic traditions. Is this really a ridiculous libretto irredeemably mangled by a censorship which demanded that Enlightenment Sweden had to become seventeenth-century Boston? Or is it Verdi's finest achievement, with its perfectly symmetrical drama and beautiful variety? Since it dates from a time when Verdi and his librettist were actively drafting an operatic treatment of King Lear, it is not surprising to find that Un ballo in maschera echoes some of the themes in Shakespeare's tragedy. Benedict Sarnaker analyses the extended love duet - the kernel of the score, and the pivot of the action. In a detailed study of the musical structure of the great Act Two finale, Harold Powers looks at the laughingA" chorus and at the quicksilver character of Oscar, unique in Verdi's work. Three detailed essays introduce one of the most debated classics in Italian opera.

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Messa da Requiem is the fourth work to be published in The Works of Giuseppe Verdi. Following the strict requirements of the series, this edition is based on Verdi's autograph and other authentic sources, and has been reviewed by a distinguished editorial board—Philip Gossett (general editor), Julian Budden, Martin Chusid, Francesco Degrada, Ursula Günther, Giorgio Pestelli, and Pierluigi Petrobelli. It is available as a two-volume set: a full orchestral score and a critical commentary. The appendixes include two pieces from the compositional history of the Requiem: an early version of the Libera me, composed in 1869 as part of a collaborative work planned as a memorial to Rossini; and the Liber scriptus, which in the original score of the Manzoni memorial Requiem was composed as a fugue in G minor. The score, which has been beautifully bound and autographed, is printed on high-grade paper in an oversized format. The introduction to the score discusses the work's genesis, instrumentation, and problems of notation. The critical commentary, printed in a smaller format, discusses the editorial decisions and traces the complex compositional history of the Requiem.

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Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra exists in two versions: that of the 1857 original and that of the 1881 revision. The texts of the libretto of both versions are included in this guide, with a number of essays which focus on the differences between the two. Rodolfo Celleti provides the story’s historical context, setting the events of the real life of Simon Boccanegra against the unification of Italy, which formed the political backdrop to the composition of both versions of Verdi’s opera. James A. Hepokoski gives a detailed synopsis of the 1881 score, and indicates the ways in which Verdi radically revised the original and reworked it to fit his late style. Lastly, Desmond Shawe-Taylor discusses Verdi’s attitude to his singers, and the critical reception that performances of both versions of the opera received. This edition contains over twenty illustrations, a thematic guide and the texts of the libretti in the original with literal translations. There is also a bibilography, discography and DVD guide, together with a list of websites that will allow the reader to explore the opera further. Contents: An Historical Perspective, Rodolfo Celletti; An Introduction to the 1881 Score, James Hepokoski; Verdi and his Singers, Desmond Shawe-Taylor; Simon Boccanegra: Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave with additions by Giuseppe Montanelli and additions and alterations by Arrigo Boito; Simon Boccanegra: English translation by James Fenton

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In this guide, Julian Budden reviews the difficulties that faced the management that had commissioned La Traviata and how, in some previously unpublished letters, Verdi fought their views on casting the leading lady. Denis Arnold contributes a musical commentary. April FitzLyon discusses the social background of the 'lady of the camellias' in fact, fiction and on the stage, and Nicholas John compares the libretto with the play to show how skilfully it was adapted for the operatic stage.

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I complain bitterly of the editions of my last operas, made with such little care, and filled with an infinite number of errors. Giuseppe Verdi The University of Chicago Press, in collaboration with Casa Ricordi, has undertaken to publish the first critical edition of the complete works of Giuseppe Verdi. The series, based exclusively on original sources, is the only one to present authentic versions of all of the composer's works; together with his operas, the critical edition presents his songs, his choral music and sacred pieces, and his string quartet and other instrumental works. The Works of Giuseppe Verdi will be an invaluable standard reference work a necessary acquisition for all music libraries and a joy to own for all lovers of opera. The new series of study scores presents an adaptation of each critical edition that provides scholars with an affordable and portable option for exploring Verdi's oeuvre. The study scores have been designed to distinguish editors' marks from Verdi's own notations while remaining clear enough for use in performance. The introduction to each score discusses the work's sources, composition, and performance history, as well as performance practices, instrumentation, and problems of notation. The newest editions of the study scores examine two of Verdi's three-act operas: La traviata and Rigoletto.

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This newest volume in the "Works of Giuseppe Verdi" series comprises his only two surviving secular choral works: "Inno popolare", or "Hymn of the People", for unaccompanied male chorus, and "Inno delle nazioni", or "Hymn of the Nations", for tenor solo, chorus, and orchestra. Verdi wrote the brief "Inno popolare" in 1848 at the behest of the Italian philosopher and patriot Giuseppe Mazzini, hoping that it would become an anthem for Italy. He wrote no more independent patriotic pieces until he was asked in 1861 to represent his country with a patriotic composition at a musical jubilee during London's International Exhibition of 1862. The resulting piece was "Inno delle nazioni", the critical edition of which is based on Verdi's autograph score, preserved at the British Library. Other important sources include the composer's musical sketches, recently discovered in the Verdi family villa, and the performing parts Toscanini used for a BBC broadcast in 1943.

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Rigoletto was first produced at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice, in 1851, and is generally seen as marking the beginning of Giuseppe Verdi’s extraordinary middle period. It was followed in quick succession by Il trovatore and La traviata, and even after the great success of these two works Verdi regarded it as his ‘best opera’ up to that time. Based on Victor Hugo’s play Le Roi s’amuse, which was banned after its premiere in Paris in 1832, the opera faced considerable difficulties with local censors before performance was permitted. In the story of the hunchbacked court jester and his beloved daughter, Verdi believed he had found “the greatest subject and perhaps the greatest drama of modern times”. The guide contains articles on the place of Rigoletto in Verdi’s oeuvre and the background to its composition, a detailed examination of its musical structure and a survey of its performance history including discussions of some of its most distinguished interpreters. A further article highlights aspects of the opera’s particularly Italian character. The guide also includes the full Italian libretto with English translation, sixteen pages of illustrations, a musical thematic guide, a bibliography and discography, and DVD and website guides. Contains: The Making of Rigoletto, Jonathan Keates The Music of Rigoletto, Roger Parker A Selective Performance History, George Hall Rigoletto: Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave after Victor Hugo’s play Le Roi s’amuse Rigoletto: English Translation by William Weaver

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“A lyric comedy unlike any other”, wrote Verdi about his last opera. That the last work of a composer who was almost notorious for his preference for tragic and gloomy subjects should be a brilliant human comedy was and remains one of the wonders of music. Michael Rose considers its status in Italian comic opera tradition. Davis Cairns pours his enthusiasm for the piece into a detailed and illuminating musical analysis. Andrew Porter, whose translation almost matches Boito’s original libretto for elegance and wit, explains the challenges and risks of the undertaking in his fascinating introduction. Contents: Introduction, Nicholas John; ‘A Lyric Comedy Unlike Any Other’, Michael Rose; ‘Full of Nimble, Fiery and Delectable Shapes’, David Cairns; Translating ‘Falstaff’, Andrew Porter; Falstaff: Libretto by Arrigo Boito; Falstaff: English Translation by Andrew Porter

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Winton Dean relates how Otello came into being as much because of the persistence of Verdi’s publisher as of the composer’s lifelong passion for Shakespeare, and the collaboration of the brilliant poet Arrigo Boito. Benedict Sarnaker argues that this magnificent large-scale opera rivals Shakespeare in intensity and profundity. William Weaver’s lively review of Shakespeare on the Italian stage in the last century enables us to make a wholly fresh appraisal of Verdi’s stature as a dramatist. The libretto itself is a masterpiece, and Andrew Porter has also translated the third-act revision which Verdi came to prefer and which has not been performed outside France before the 1981 ENO production. Contents: ‘Otello’: The Background, Winton Dean; ‘Otello’: Drama and Music Benedict Sarnaker; Verdi, Shakespeare and the Italian Audience, William Weaver; Otello: Libretto by Arrigo Boito; Otello: English Translation by Andrew Porter

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Although Verdi began sketching the music for "Il Corsaro" in 1846, a lengthy illness forced him to postpone further work. He finally completed the score in early 1848, but the revolutions of that year delayed its first performance. When it was finally premiered on 25 October at the Teatro Grande of Trieste, Verdi was in Paris and did not participate as usual in the production, which was poorly received. Though more successful in subsequent stagings, "Il Corsaro" was soon eclipsed by the operas of the noted "trilogy" and fell from the repertory. The full score of "Il Corsaro", as well as recent revivals based on pre-publication proofs of this critical edition, reveal the work to be far more rewarding than even Verdi himself would later admit. Showing the gradual consolidation of Verdi's mature style through his contacts with French opera, it amply repays the renewed attention it is receiving.

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Luisa Miller, a milestone in the maturation of Verdi's style, is the fifth work to be published in The Works of Giuseppe Verdi. Following the strict requirements of the series, this edition is based on Verdi's autograph and other authentic sources, and has been reviewed by a distinguished editorial board—Philip Gossett (general editor), Julian Budden, Martin Chusid, Francesco Degrada, Ursula Günter, Giorgio Pestelli, and Pierluigi Petrobelli. It is available as a two-volume set: a full orchestral score and a critical commentary. The newly set score is printed on acid-free paper and beautifully bound in an oversized format. The introduction to the score discusses the work's genesis, sources, and performance history as well as performance practice, instrumentation, and problems of notation. The critical commentary discusses editorial decisions and identifies the sources of alternate readings of the music and libretto.

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Based on Verdi's autograph score and an examination of important secondary sources, including contemporary manuscript copies and performing parts, this edition of Il trovatore identifies and resolves numerous ambiguities of harmony, melodic detail, text, and phrasing that have marred previous scores. Scholars and performers alike will find a wealth of information in the critical apparatus to inform their research and interpretations.

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Aida is, for most of us, the quintessence of Ancient Egypt but it is certainly not just for archaeologists. Michael Rose points out that it is really about patriotism - an issue of burning importance to Verdi and his contemporaries. Music critic William Mann reflects that even a short look at the score reveals subtleties that repay careful listening. And Verdi's own letters show the germs of the opera grow from suggestion to creation.

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The Verdi-Boito Correspondence presents 301 letters between Giuseppe Verdi and his last, most gifted librettist, Arrigo Boito. Documenting an extraordinary chapter in musical history, this definitive English edition of the landmark Carteggio Verdi/Boito features an introduction by Marcello Conati, improvements and updatings to the original edition, an appendix of undated correspondence, and a short closing sketch of Boito's life after the death of his beloved maestro. With a fascinating glimpse of the daily life of European art and artists during the fertile last decades of the nineteenth century, this book is a valuable resource for anyone passionate about opera.

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“Verdi’s War and Peace“, writes Peter Conrad of this epic opera composed in 1862. It encompasses the extremes of a religious and secular existence – the worlds of the lovers pursued by an uncompromising fate and of the people in the scenes at the inn and on the battlefield. Despite its beautiful score, this opera has often seemed perplexing: Richard Bernas shows us how the music is devised as a convincing entity, and Bruce A. Brown traces the tortuous but fascinating history of its revisions. Here translated into English by Andrew Porter, La forza del destino deserves a serious reassessment. Contents: War and Peace, Peter Conrad; The Music of ‘The Force of Destiny’, Richard Bernas; The Revision of ‘The Force of Destiny’; ‘That Damned Ending’, Bruce A. Brown; La forza del destino: Libretto by Francesco Piave (1862) with additions by Antonio Ghislanzoni (1869); The Force of Destiny: English translation by Andrew Porter

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Verdi came to Shakespeare through Italian translation and had never seen Macbeth on stage when he wrote his first version of the opera in 1847. Giorgio Melchiori draws a parallel between the conditions in which the playwright and the composer were working and compares their achievements. The supernatural was a vital element in both conceptions: the opera is “in the fantastic style”, with bizarre music for the witches’ dances and choruses. Theatre historian Michael Booth vividly introduces the staging of Shakespeare in the nineteenth century. Harold Powers discusses how the dramatic situations lent themselves to the forms and purposes of Italian opera. Contents: ‘Macbeth’: Shakespeare to Verdi, Giorgio Melchiori; Making ‘Macbeth’ ‘Musicabile’, Harold Powers; ‘Macbeth’ and the Nineteenth-Century Theatre, Michael R. Booth; A Note on Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, August Wilhelm Schlegel; The Preface in the Ricordi Libretto; Piave’s Intended Preface for the 1847 Libretto; Macbeth: Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave (1865); Macbeth: English translation by Jeremy Sams

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In this guide to Verdi’s popular opera, Marcello Conati of the Institute for Verdi Studies points out that, although audiences have always adored it, critics are only now coming to see that it represents a step forward, not back, from the revolutionary drama of Rigoletto, completed a year before. Professor D.R.B. Kimbell, an expert on Verdi’s music, clarifies the story and takes us through the score, while Professor Donald Shaw examines the unusual symbolism of the Spanish Romantic movement. Il Trovatore can be approached just as a theatrical experience, but these essays give brief and valuable insights into the type of drama it is, and the way it works. Contents: ‘Higher than the highest’, Marcello Conati; ‘Il trovatore’: Music and Drama, D.R.B. Kimbell; Antonio García Gutiérrez’s ‘El trovador’, Donald Shaw; Il trovatore: Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano; Il trovatore: English translation by Tom Hammond

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