174
I LOVE ITALIAN
OPERA—IT’S
SO RECKLESS
LA TRAVIATA (1853), GIUSEPPE VERDI
I
t was usual in the first decades
of the 19th century for Italian
opera to be concerned with
the tragedies of the great and
noble. Giuseppe Verdi challenged
this and produced operas about
ordinary people as well.
Verdi enjoyed notable early
successes, such as Nabucco (1842),
based on the biblical story of
Nebuchadnezzar II. Its chorus
“Va pensiero,” in which the Hebrew
slaves lament the loss of their
homeland, would later become an
anthem for Italian independence.However, it wasn’t until well into
Verdi’s creative life that he fulfilled
his democratic ambitions with
three masterpieces composed in
quick succession—Rigoletto (1851),
Il trovatore (1853), and La traviata
(1853). Rigoletto focuses on the
eponymous character—a hunchback
who, in trying to protect hisIN CONTEXT
FOCUS
Italian operaBEFORE
1829 Rossini shocks the
musical world by retiring
from opera after his final
stage work, William Tell,
premieres in Paris.1848 Composer Gaetano
Donizetti dies, 13 years after
his compatriot Vincenzo
Bellini, leaving Verdi as the
leading light of Italian opera.AFTER
1887 Milan hosts the premiere
of Verdi’s Otello, his first opera
since Aida in 1871.1890 Italian composer Pietro
Mascagni’s masterpiece
Cavalleria rusticana premieres
in Rome and ushers in the
naturalistic, melodramatic
“verismo” style of opera.Italian tenor Francesco Meli
performs as Violetta’s lover, Alfredo,
in the brindisi drinking song in a 2016
production of La traviata. His love for
Violetta brings shame upon his family.US_174-175_Verdi.indd 174 26/03/18 1:01 PM