Giuseppe Verdi
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Giuseppe Verdi, a magnificent Italian opera composer of the Romantic era
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was an Italian opera composer.
His operas included Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Aida, Otello, and Falstaff.
He also wrote memorable religious works, such as his Requiem and his Stabat Mater.
Verdi's operas featured dramatic and dramatic vocal lines, supported by magnificent dramatic and orchestral underpinnings. His operas usually centered on passionate human conflicts.
His early operas were quite melodramatic; his later ones more noble. Falstaff was a surprise: a comic opera.
"Va pensiero" (Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from Verdi's opera, Nambucco
I Adore Art
"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."
-- Giuseppe Verdi
Verdi With a Vengeance: An Energetic Guide to the Life and Complete Works of the King of Opera
Verdi With a Vengeance: An Energetic Guide to the Life and Complete Works of the King of Opera
Amazon Price: $10.95 (as of 02/17/2012)
William Beger's "Verdi with a Vengeance" is a triumph of music writing: accessible, informed and passionate. For the newcomer to the breadth of works by the great composer, this guide is a godsend, as Mr. Berger lays out the history of each opera, the story behind its plot and, most important, what makes each one special. He doesn't preach, but his enthusiasm makes a reader -- and a potential listener -- hungry to hear and see the works he so vividly describes. Mr. Berger is a master of the telling detail: he lets you know what to look and listen for in particular arias, and how these moments affect the drama. "Verdi with a Vengeance" should also delight Verdi aficionados, since Mr. Berger is so familiar with all aspects of the composer's art, his research is so deep, that he reveals new aspects of the operas (and the Requiem). His prose is free of musicological jargon, though conversant with the language of music. Mr. Berger can describe economically the emotion music can convey, and he can give a sense of the intellect behind the notes. He is a writer of wit and nuance, masterfully evoking a mise-en-scene within an opera or limning the characteristics of hammy singers. This is a book both to be savored at length and dipped into for fresh insights before attending any performance of Verdi. It is a rare book that manages to be learned as well as breezy, humorous and deeply felt.
Bust of Giuseppe Verdi outside of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Italy. The original was sculpted by Antonio Ugo, 1902.
Verdi Music on CD
"La Donna è mobile" (Woman is Fickle) from Verdi's opera, Rigoletto
Sung by Mario Lanza
Italy
"You may have the universe if I may have Italy."
-- Giuseppe Verdi
"Sempre libera" (Always free) from Verdi's opera, La Traviata
Sung by Natalie Dessay
Giuseppe Verdi (article)
Source: Wapedia
Aria "Miserere" (Lord, have mercy upon a soul departing) in the Verdi's opera, Il Trovatore
Singer: Sondra Radvanovsky
Poster for 1884 Production of Verdi's Othello with Thomas Keane
Interesting Internet Resources on Verdi
- Giuseppe Verdi
- Biography; information on his operas; brief review on CDs available.
Latest News on Giuseppe Verdi
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byVerdi: Requiem (Cambridge Music Handbooks)
Verdi: Requiem (Cambridge Music Handbooks)
Amazon Price: $27.66 (as of 02/17/2012)
"The handbook is concise yet packed with information...Rosen's book would make a fine addition to the choral director's library. Whether used as a guide for listening or as a resource in preparing for performance, Verdi: Requiem offers insight, perspective, histprical backgorund, and critical analysis with clarity and conciseness." -- Lewis W. Gordon, Choral Journal
Giuseppe Verdi items on eBay
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johncgoad
Dec 25, 2008 @ 4:55 am | delete
- Five stars for this great Verdi lens!
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