Giuseppe Verdi

Series

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Comments

2008

20080218

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success.

1/5. The Barezzi Family

Antonio Barezzi, a distiller and grocer, sponsored Verdi as a child. Later on, Barezzi's daughter Margherita, also a keen supporter of Verdi's ambitions, became the composer's first wife.

Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate (Nabucco)

Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

Claudio Abbado (conductor)

Sinfonia in C

Symphony Orchestra of Milan

Riccardo Chailly (conductor)

Leonore's Cavatina (Act 1, Oberto)

Ghena Dimitrova (soprano)

Munich Radio Orchestra

Lamberto Gardelli (conductor)

Quartet (Act 2, Oberto)

Ruza Baldani (mezzo-soprano)

Carlo Bergonzi (tenor)

Rolando Panerai (baritone)

The Prophecy (Act 3, Nabucco)

Piero Cappuccilli (baritone)

Kurt Rydl (bass)

Chorus and orchestra of Deutschen Oper Berlin

Giuseppe Sinopoli (conductor).

Donald Macleod looks at the people who helped Verdi find success, focusing on the Barezzis

2008

20080219

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success.

2/5. Giuseppina Strepponi

The opera singer Giuseppina Strepponi was one of Verdi's most loyal supporters. Despite the difficulties her tarnished reputation caused the couple, their relationship endured for half a century. Verdi relied on her steady emotional support, advice over singers and her ability to deal with all his professional matters including tactfully negotiating disputes with colleagues and friends.

Oh belle, a questa misera (Act 2, I Lombardi)

Angela Gheorghiu (soprano)

Roberto Alagna (tenor)

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Claudio Abbado (conductor)

Surta e la notte...Ernani! Ernani, involami (Ernani, Act 1)

Leontyne Price (soprano)

RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra

Thomas Schippers (conductor)

Ben io t'invenni...Anch'io dischiuso un giorno (Nabucco Act 2)

Ghena Dimitrova (soprano)

Orchestra of Deutsche Oper, Berlin

Giuseppe Sinopoli (conductor)

La Traviata (Act 1)

Joan Sutherland (soprano)

Carlo Bergonzi (tenor)

Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

John Pritchard (conductor).

Donald Macleod looks at those who aided Verdi's success, focusing on Giuseppina Strepponi.

2008

20080220

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success.

3/5. Francesco Maria Piave

The librettist Francesco Maria Piave worked with Verdi for more than 20 years, and together they were responsible for some of Verdi's biggest hits and also some of his more memorable flops.

Verdi regarded Piave as a good friend, but that did not stop him from accusing Piave of being long winded, criticising him and, in the case of Macbeth, sending the work straight to another writer and translator, Andrea Maffei, for further work.

Stornello

Margaret Price (soprano)

Geoffrey Parsons (piano)

Mio padre...Dio Mia Gilda...Si vendetta, tremenda vendetta (Rigoletto, Act 2)

Renato Bruson (baritone)

Andrea Rost (soprano)

Ernesto Gavazzi (tenor)

Silvestro Sammaritano, Antonio de Gobbi (bass)

Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

Riccardo Muti (conductor)

Vegliammo invan due notti...Ella e morta! (Macbeth, Act 4)

Shirley Verrett (soprano)

Piero Cappuccilli (baritone)

Claudio Abbado (conductor)

Overture (La forza del destino)

Riccardo Muti (conductor).

With a look at those who aided Verdi's success, including librettist Francesco Maria Piave

2008

20080221

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success.

4/5. Arrigo Boito

Arrigo Boito was the librettist with whom Verdi produced his later operas Otello, Falstaff and a much revised Simon Boccanegra. Verdi greatly admired Boito, a composer in his own right, for his brilliant mind.

Their association had an unfortunate start as Boito insulted Verdi and the novelist Alessandro Manzoni at a banquet by reading out an ode he had written about the decrepit old men who were ruining Italian art. While it was 20 years before they become friends, they remained so until Verdi's death.

Reconciliation scene (Simon Boccanegra, Act 3)

Nikolai Ghiaurov (bass-baritone)

Piero Cappuccilli (baritone)

Orchestra of La Scala, Milan

Claudio Abbado (conductor)

Credo in un dio crudel...se inconscia, contro te, sposo, ho peccato (Otello, Act 2)

Cheryl Studer (soprano)

Placido Domingo (tenor)

Sergei Leiferkus (baritone)

Denyce Graves (mezzo-soprano)

Chorus and Orchestra of Bastille Opera

Myung-Whun Chung (conductor)

Falstaff, Act 1 (excerpt)

Bryn Terfel (baritone)

Anthony Mee (tenor)

Anatoli Kotscherga (bass)

Enrico Facini (tenor)

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Claudio Abbado (conductor).

Looking at those who aided Verdi's success, with a focus on the librettist Arrigo Boito.

2008

05 LAST

20080222

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities and institutions who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success.

5/5. Casa Ricordi

By his death in 1901, Verdi had achieved great recognition. Internationally acclaimed, feted wherever he went, his long career had by then spanned 60 years. He had amassed a fortune, due in part to the fact that he was a shrewd businessman but also because of the efforts of Casa Ricordi, the publishing house which had, and continued, to tirelessly promote his music.

Piangea cantando nell'erma landa...Ave Maria (Otello, Act 4)

Cheryl Studer (soprano)

Orchestra of Bastille Opera

Myung-Whun Chung (conductor)

Libera me (Messa da Requiem)

Carol Vaness (soprano)

Bavarian Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra

Colin Davis (conductor)

Je viens solliciter de la Reine...o bien perdu (Don Carlos, Act 2)

Roberto Alagna (tenor)

Karita Mattila (soprano)

Orchestra de Paris

Antonio Pappano (conductor)

Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside...Vieni, o guerriero vindice (Aida, Act 2)

Arnold Schoenberg Choir

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor).

A look at those who aided Verdi's success, focusing on his publishing house, Casa Ricordi.

2010

Nabucco, Aida

20100720

Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the operas of Verdi with the composer's only forays into 'exotic' subject-matter - Nabucco, his 3rd opera, and Aida, his 30th. Nabucco was Verdi's artistic break-through - a tremendous success, it made his name in Italy and all over Europe. Aida, written towards the other end of his long career, confirmed his reputation as the pre-eminent Italian composer of his day. Both works are best known for their choruses - Nabucco for 'Va pensiero', sung by the Hebrew slaves by the waters of Babylon; and Aida for the spectacular Triumph Scene from Act 2 scene 2, when the Egyptian troops return, victorious, to the city of Thebes.

Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the operas of Verdi with Nabucco and Aida.

2010

Giovanna D'arco, I Masnadieri, Luisa Miller

20100721

Friedrich Schiller is perhaps most widely known today as the poet of the 'Ode to Joy', famously set to music in the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Verdi encountered his work through the glittering Milanese salon of Countess Clarina Maffei, whose husband Count Andrea had embarked on the task of translating Schiller's plays into Italian. Schiller became a favourite of Verdi's - second only to Shakespeare in his estimation - and the composer was to base four operas on his plays. Here, Donald Macleod considers three of them, written in fairly swift succession in the late 1840s - Giovanna d'Arco, I Masnadieri, and lastly Luisa Miller, which marks the transition to Verdi's mature style.

Producer: Chris Barstow.

Donald Macleod explores Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco, I Masnadieri and Luisa Miller.

2010

Don Carlos

20100722

Donald Macleod continues his exploration of Verdi's operas with Don Carlos, an epic tale of thwarted love that poses epic problems for directors. The historical Don Carlos was a tortured, tragic and misshapen young man in 16th-century Spain. Verdi's grand operatic version of his life, based, not for the first time, on a play by Schiller, turned out to have one of the most tortuous and protracted histories in all opera. As a result there are no fewer than eight possible 'authentic' versions of the score, so for anyone putting on a production of Don Carlos, it's rather a case of Let's Make an Opera!

Producer: Chris Barstow.

Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the operas of Verdi with Don Carlos.

2010

05 LAST

Macbeth, Otello, Falstaff

20100723

For Verdi, Shakespeare was 'the great poet of the human heart' and the greatest of all playwrights, whom he sometimes referred to simply as 'Papa'. Donald Macleod concludes his exploration of Verdi's operas with his Shakespearean trio: a groundbreaking early work, Macbeth; and his final two operatic essays, Otello and Falstaff - acknowledged pinnacles of the genre. All three excerpts show the protagonists losing control in one way or another: Lady Macbeth, in the famous sleepwalking scene, is unable to suppress her murderous guilt; Otello is unable to control his jealously and rage; and Falstaff, tricked into taking cover in a laundry basket, finds himself at the mercy of gravity, as he's unceremoniously tossed out of a window into the River Thames.

Producer: Chris Barstow.

Donald Macleod explores Verdi's Shakespeare operas - Macbeth, Otello and Falstaff.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
2008	01		20080218	Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success. 1/5. The Barezzi Family Antonio Barezzi, a distiller and grocer, sponsored Verdi as a child. Later on, Barezzi's daughter Margherita, also a keen supporter of Verdi's ambitions, became the composer's first wife. Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate (Nabucco) Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan Claudio Abbado (conductor) Sinfonia in C Symphony Orchestra of Milan Riccardo Chailly (conductor) Leonore's Cavatina (Act 1, Oberto) Ghena Dimitrova (soprano) Munich Radio Orchestra Lamberto Gardelli (conductor) Quartet (Act 2, Oberto) Ruza Baldani (mezzo-soprano) Carlo Bergonzi (tenor) Rolando Panerai (baritone) The Prophecy (Act 3, Nabucco) Piero Cappuccilli (baritone) Kurt Rydl (bass) Chorus and orchestra of Deutschen Oper Berlin Giuseppe Sinopoli (conductor). Donald Macleod looks at the people who helped Verdi find success, focusing on the Barezzis
2008	02		20080219	Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success. 2/5. Giuseppina Strepponi The opera singer Giuseppina Strepponi was one of Verdi's most loyal supporters. Despite the difficulties her tarnished reputation caused the couple, their relationship endured for half a century. Verdi relied on her steady emotional support, advice over singers and her ability to deal with all his professional matters including tactfully negotiating disputes with colleagues and friends. Oh belle, a questa misera (Act 2, I Lombardi) Angela Gheorghiu (soprano) Roberto Alagna (tenor) Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Claudio Abbado (conductor) Surta e la notte...Ernani! Ernani, involami (Ernani, Act 1) Leontyne Price (soprano) RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra Thomas Schippers (conductor) Ben io t'invenni...Anch'io dischiuso un giorno (Nabucco Act 2) Ghena Dimitrova (soprano) Orchestra of Deutsche Oper, Berlin Giuseppe Sinopoli (conductor) La Traviata (Act 1) Joan Sutherland (soprano) Carlo Bergonzi (tenor) Orchestra and Chorus of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino John Pritchard (conductor). Donald Macleod looks at those who aided Verdi's success, focusing on Giuseppina Strepponi.
2008	03		20080220	Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success. 3/5. Francesco Maria Piave The librettist Francesco Maria Piave worked with Verdi for more than 20 years, and together they were responsible for some of Verdi's biggest hits and also some of his more memorable flops. Verdi regarded Piave as a good friend, but that did not stop him from accusing Piave of being long winded, criticising him and, in the case of Macbeth, sending the work straight to another writer and translator, Andrea Maffei, for further work. Stornello Margaret Price (soprano) Geoffrey Parsons (piano) Mio padre...Dio Mia Gilda...Si vendetta, tremenda vendetta (Rigoletto, Act 2) Renato Bruson (baritone) Andrea Rost (soprano) Ernesto Gavazzi (tenor) Silvestro Sammaritano, Antonio de Gobbi (bass) Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan Riccardo Muti (conductor) Vegliammo invan due notti...Ella e morta! (Macbeth, Act 4) Shirley Verrett (soprano) Piero Cappuccilli (baritone) Claudio Abbado (conductor) Overture (La forza del destino) Riccardo Muti (conductor). With a look at those who aided Verdi's success, including librettist Francesco Maria Piave
2008	04		20080221	Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success. 4/5. Arrigo Boito Arrigo Boito was the librettist with whom Verdi produced his later operas Otello, Falstaff and a much revised Simon Boccanegra. Verdi greatly admired Boito, a composer in his own right, for his brilliant mind. Their association had an unfortunate start as Boito insulted Verdi and the novelist Alessandro Manzoni at a banquet by reading out an ode he had written about the decrepit old men who were ruining Italian art. While it was 20 years before they become friends, they remained so until Verdi's death. Reconciliation scene (Simon Boccanegra, Act 3) Nikolai Ghiaurov (bass-baritone) Piero Cappuccilli (baritone) Orchestra of La Scala, Milan Claudio Abbado (conductor) Credo in un dio crudel...se inconscia, contro te, sposo, ho peccato (Otello, Act 2) Cheryl Studer (soprano) Placido Domingo (tenor) Sergei Leiferkus (baritone) Denyce Graves (mezzo-soprano) Chorus and Orchestra of Bastille Opera Myung-Whun Chung (conductor) Falstaff, Act 1 (excerpt) Bryn Terfel (baritone) Anthony Mee (tenor) Anatoli Kotscherga (bass) Enrico Facini (tenor) Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Claudio Abbado (conductor). Looking at those who aided Verdi's success, with a focus on the librettist Arrigo Boito.
2008	05 LAST		20080222	Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Donald Macleod looks at some of the personalities and institutions who were instrumental in helping Verdi achieve success. 5/5. Casa Ricordi By his death in 1901, Verdi had achieved great recognition. Internationally acclaimed, feted wherever he went, his long career had by then spanned 60 years. He had amassed a fortune, due in part to the fact that he was a shrewd businessman but also because of the efforts of Casa Ricordi, the publishing house which had, and continued, to tirelessly promote his music. Piangea cantando nell'erma landa...Ave Maria (Otello, Act 4) Cheryl Studer (soprano) Orchestra of Bastille Opera Myung-Whun Chung (conductor) Libera me (Messa da Requiem) Carol Vaness (soprano) Bavarian Radio Chorus and Symphony Orchestra Colin Davis (conductor) Je viens solliciter de la Reine...o bien perdu (Don Carlos, Act 2) Roberto Alagna (tenor) Karita Mattila (soprano) Orchestra de Paris Antonio Pappano (conductor) Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside...Vieni, o guerriero vindice (Aida, Act 2) Arnold Schoenberg Choir Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor). A look at those who aided Verdi's success, focusing on his publishing house, Casa Ricordi.
2010	02	Nabucco, Aida	20100720	Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the operas of Verdi with the composer's only forays into 'exotic' subject-matter - Nabucco, his 3rd opera, and Aida, his 30th. Nabucco was Verdi's artistic break-through - a tremendous success, it made his name in Italy and all over Europe. Aida, written towards the other end of his long career, confirmed his reputation as the pre-eminent Italian composer of his day. Both works are best known for their choruses - Nabucco for 'Va pensiero', sung by the Hebrew slaves by the waters of Babylon; and Aida for the spectacular Triumph Scene from Act 2 scene 2, when the Egyptian troops return, victorious, to the city of Thebes. Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the operas of Verdi with Nabucco and Aida.
2010	03	Giovanna D'arco, I Masnadieri, Luisa Miller	20100721	Friedrich Schiller is perhaps most widely known today as the poet of the 'Ode to Joy', famously set to music in the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Verdi encountered his work through the glittering Milanese salon of Countess Clarina Maffei, whose husband Count Andrea had embarked on the task of translating Schiller's plays into Italian. Schiller became a favourite of Verdi's - second only to Shakespeare in his estimation - and the composer was to base four operas on his plays. Here, Donald Macleod considers three of them, written in fairly swift succession in the late 1840s - Giovanna d'Arco, I Masnadieri, and lastly Luisa Miller, which marks the transition to Verdi's mature style. Producer: Chris Barstow. Donald Macleod explores Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco, I Masnadieri and Luisa Miller.
2010	04	Don Carlos	20100722	Donald Macleod continues his exploration of Verdi's operas with Don Carlos, an epic tale of thwarted love that poses epic problems for directors. The historical Don Carlos was a tortured, tragic and misshapen young man in 16th-century Spain. Verdi's grand operatic version of his life, based, not for the first time, on a play by Schiller, turned out to have one of the most tortuous and protracted histories in all opera. As a result there are no fewer than eight possible 'authentic' versions of the score, so for anyone putting on a production of Don Carlos, it's rather a case of Let's Make an Opera! Producer: Chris Barstow. Donald Macleod continues his exploration of the operas of Verdi with Don Carlos.
2010	05 LAST	Macbeth, Otello, Falstaff	20100723	For Verdi, Shakespeare was 'the great poet of the human heart' and the greatest of all playwrights, whom he sometimes referred to simply as 'Papa'. Donald Macleod concludes his exploration of Verdi's operas with his Shakespearean trio: a groundbreaking early work, Macbeth; and his final two operatic essays, Otello and Falstaff - acknowledged pinnacles of the genre. All three excerpts show the protagonists losing control in one way or another: Lady Macbeth, in the famous sleepwalking scene, is unable to suppress her murderous guilt; Otello is unable to control his jealously and rage; and Falstaff, tricked into taking cover in a laundry basket, finds himself at the mercy of gravity, as he's unceremoniously tossed out of a window into the River Thames. Producer: Chris Barstow. Donald Macleod explores Verdi's Shakespeare operas - Macbeth, Otello and Falstaff.