Guiseppe Verdi 1840–1890
Developments in Opera
The works of Shakespeare, Hugo, and other great Romantics inspire action-packed
melodramas filled with fascinating characters.
Italians so love Verdi's catchy tunes that his music becomes the anthem to unify
Italy into one nation, and Verdi himself becomes a national hero.
Opera matures; rather than a collection of separate musical numbers, it starts to
become a seamless whole in which the music flows from beginning to end, as in Verdi's
Aida, Otello, and Falstaff.
The Masterworks
Rigoletto:
An evil duke's stooge, a pathetic jester, seeks revenge on his master,
only to kill the only person who loves his innocent daughter. A gripping and grisly
exploration of humanity's dark side.
La traviata:
A dying courtesan makes the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the man
she loves. Tuneful, heart-wrenching, and surprisingly modern.
Aida:
An enslaved Ethiopian princess falls in love with her father's enemy, the
commander of the Egyptian armies. Majestic and grandiose (and in some productions, filled
with camels and elephants).