Verdi years of life. Composer's last work

Verdi Giuseppe, whose biography is presented in the article, is a famous Italian composer. The years of his life are 1813-1901. A bunch of immortal works created by Verdi Giuseppe. The biography of this composer is certainly worthy of attention.

His work is considered highest point development of 19th century music in his native country. More than half a century covered the activities of Verdi as a composer. She was mainly associated with the genre of opera. Verdi created the first of them when he was 26 years old ("Oberto, Count di San Bonifacio"), and he wrote the last one at the age of 80 ("Falstaff"). The author of 32 operas (including new editions of works written earlier) is Verdi Giuseppe. His biography to this day is of great interest, and Verdi's creations are still included in the main repertoire of theaters around the world.

Origin, childhood

Giuseppe was born in Roncol. This village was located in the province of Parma, which at that time was part of the Napoleonic Empire. The photo below shows the house in which the composer was born and spent his childhood. It is known that his father was a grocery trader and kept a wine cellar.

Verdi Giuseppe received his first music lessons from the organist of the local church. His biography is marked by the first important event in 1823. It was then that the future composer was sent to Busseto, a neighboring town, where he continued his studies at school. At the age of 11, Giuseppe began to show pronounced musical ability. The boy began to act as organist at Roncol.

Giuseppe noticed A. Barezzi, a wealthy merchant from Busseto, who supplied the boy's father's shop and had a great interest in music. The future composer is indebted to the music education to this particular person. Barezzi took him to his house, hired the best teacher for the boy and began to pay for his education in Milan.

Giuseppe becomes a conductor, studying with V. Lavigny

At the age of 15, he was already the conductor of a small orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi. His brief biography continues with his arrival in Milan. He went here with the money collected by his father's friends. Giuseppe's goal was to enter the conservatory. However, he was not accepted into this educational institution due to lack of ability. Nevertheless, V. Lavigna, a Milanese conductor and composer, appreciated Giuseppe's talent. He began to teach his compositions for free. Opera writing and orchestration comprehended in practice, in the opera houses of Milan Giuseppe Verdi. His brief biography is marked by the appearance of the first works a few years later.

First works

Verdi lived in Busseto between 1835 and 1838 and worked as a conductor in the municipal orchestra. Giuseppe created his first opera in 1837 under the title Oberto, Count di San Bonifacio. This work was staged 2 years later in Milan. It was a great success. Commissioned by La Scala, the famous Milan theater, Verdi wrote a comic opera. He called it "Imaginary Stanislav, or one day of the reign." It was staged in 1840 ("King for an Hour"). Another work, the opera "Nabucco", was presented to the public in 1842 ("Nevuchadnezzar"). In it, the composer reflected the aspirations and feelings of the Italian people, who in those years began the struggle for independence, for getting rid of the Austrian yoke. The audience saw in the suffering of the Jewish people, who were in captivity, an analogy with contemporary Italy. Active political manifestations were caused by the choir of captive Jews from this work. Giuseppe's next opera, "The Lombards in crusade", also echoed calls for the overthrow of tyranny. It was staged in Milan in 1843. And in Paris in 1847, the second edition of this opera with ballet ("Jerusalem") was presented to the public.

Life in Paris, marriage to J. Strepponi

In the period from 1847 to 1849 he was mainly in the French capital of Giuseppe Verdi. His biography and work at that time were marked by important events. It was in the French capital that he made a new edition of The Lombards (Jerusalem). In addition, in Paris, Verdi met his friend, Giuseppina Strepponi (her portrait is presented above). This singer participated in productions of "Lombards" and "Nabucco" in Milan and already in those years became close to the composer. They eventually got married after 10 years.

Characteristics of Verdi's early work

Almost all the works of Giuseppe of the first period of creativity are thoroughly permeated with patriotic moods, heroic pathos. They are associated with the fight against the oppressors. This, for example, is written by Hugo "Ernani" (the first production took place in Venice in 1844). Verdi created his work "The Two Foscari" after Byron (the premiere took place in Rome in 1844). He was also interested in Schiller's work. The Maid of Orleans was presented in Milan in 1845. In the same year, the premiere of "Alzira" by Voltaire took place in Naples. Shakespeare's Macbeth was staged in Florence in 1847. The operas Macbeth, Attila and Ernani had the greatest success among the compositions of this time. Stage situations from these works reminded the audience of the situation in their country.

Giuseppe Verdi's response to the French Revolution

Biography, summary works and testimonies of the composer's contemporaries indicate that Verdi warmly responded to the French Revolution of 1848. He was her witness in Paris. Returning to Italy, Verdi composed the Battle of Legnano. This heroic opera was staged in Rome in 1849. The second edition of it refers to 1861 and was presented in Milan ("The Siege of Harlem"). This work describes how the Lombards fought for the unification of the country. Mazzini, an Italian revolutionary, commissioned Giuseppe to write a revolutionary anthem. So the work "The Trumpet Sounds" appeared.

1850s in the work of Verdi

The 1850s is a new period in the work of Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi. His biography was marked by the creation of operas that reflect the experiences and feelings ordinary people. The struggle of freedom-loving individuals against bourgeois society or feudal oppression became the central theme of the composer's work of this time. It is heard already in the first operas relating to this period. In 1849, Louise Miller was presented to the public in Naples. This work is based on the drama "Cunning and Love" by Schiller. In 1850, Stiffelio was staged in Trieste.

The theme of social inequality was deployed with even greater force in such immortal creations like "Rigoletto" (1851), "Il Trovatore" (1853) and "La Traviata" (1853). The nature of the music in these operas is truly folk. They showed the gift of the composer as a playwright and melodist, reflecting the truth of life in his works.

The development of the "grand opera" genre

The following creations by Verdi adjoin the genre " grand opera". These are such historical and romantic works as "Sicilian Vespers" (staged in Paris in 1855), "Un ballo in maschera" (premiered in Rome in 1859), "Force of Destiny", written by order Mariinsky Theater. By the way, in connection with the staging of Verdi's last opera in 1862, he visited St. Petersburg twice. The photo below shows his portrait, made in Russia.

In 1867, Don Carlos appeared, written after Schiller. In these operas, Giuseppe's close and beloved themes of the fight against oppressors and inequality are embodied in performances that are replete with contrasting, spectacular scenes.

Opera "Aida"

With the opera "Aida" begins a new period of Verdi's work. It was commissioned by the Egyptian Khedive to the composer in connection with an important event - the opening of the Suez Canal. A. Mariette-bey, a well-known Egyptologist, suggested to the author interesting story, which presents the life of ancient Egypt. Verdi was interested in this idea. Libretist Gislanzoni worked on the libretto with Verdi. Aida premiered in Cairo in 1871. The success was huge.

Later work of the composer

After that, Giuseppe did not create new operas for 14 years. He reviewed his old works. For example, in Milan in 1881, the premiere of the second edition of the opera Simon Boccanegra, written in 1857 by Giuseppe Verdi, took place. They said about the composer that because of old age he can no longer create something new. However, he soon surprised the public. 72-year-old Italian composer Verdi Giuseppe has announced that he is working on a new opera, Othello. It was staged in Milan in 1887, and with ballet - in Paris in 1894. A few years later, already 80-year-old Giuseppe attended the premiere of a new work, also created based on Shakespeare's work. It's about about the production of Falstaff in Milan in 1893. Giuseppe found the wonderful librettist Boito for Shakespearean operas. In the photo below - Boito (left) and Verdi.

Giuseppe, in his last three operas, sought to expand forms, to merge dramatic action and music. He gave recitative a new meaning, strengthened the role played by the orchestra in the disclosure of images.

Verdi's own path in music

As for Giuseppe's other works, the Requiem stands out among them. It is dedicated to the memory of A. Manzoni, famous poet. Giuseppe's work is distinguished by a realistic character. No wonder the composer was called the chronicler of the musical life of Europe in 1840-1890. Verdi followed the achievements of contemporary composers - Donizetti, Bellini, Wagner, Meyerbeer, Gounod. However, Giuseppe Verdi did not imitate them. His biography is marked by the creation independent works already in the early period of creativity. The composer decided to go his own way and was not mistaken. The intelligible, bright, melodically rich music of Verdi has become very popular all over the world. Democracy and realism of creativity, humanism and humanity, connection with folk art home country, - these are the main reasons why Verdi gained great fame.

On January 27, 1901, Giuseppe Verdi died in Milan. A brief biography and his work to this day are of interest to music lovers from all over the world.

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (October 10, 1813 - January 27, 1901) was an Italian composer who became famous throughout the world for his operas and requiems of incredible beauty. He is considered the man who helped Italian opera to take shape and become what is called the "classic of all time".

Childhood

Giuseppe Verdi was born on October 10 in Le Roncol, an area near the city of Busseto, Parma province. It just so happened that the child was very lucky - he became one of the few people of that time who had the honor of being born during the appearance of the First French Republic. At the same time, Verdi's date of birth is also associated with another event - the birth on the same day of Richard Wagner, who later was the composer's sworn enemy and constantly tried to compete with him on musical field.

Giuseppe's father was a landowner and kept a large village tavern at that time. Mother was an ordinary spinner, who sometimes worked as a laundress and a nanny. Despite the fact that Giuseppe was the only child in the family, they lived very poorly, like most of the inhabitants of Le Roncole. Of course, my father had some connections and was familiar with the managers of other, more famous taverns, but they were only enough to buy the bare necessities for the maintenance of the family. Only occasionally, Giuseppe and his parents went to Busseto for fairs, which began in early spring and lasted almost until mid-summer.

Verdi spent most of his childhood in the church, where he learned to read and write. In parallel, he helped the local ministers, who in return fed him and even taught him how to play the organ. It was here that Giuseppe first saw a beautiful, huge and majestic organ - an instrument that from the first second captivated him with its sound and made him fall in love forever. By the way, as soon as the son began to type the first notes on the new instrument, his parents gave him a spinet. According to the composer himself, this was a turning point in his life, and he kept the expensive gift for the rest of his life.

Youth

During one mass, the rich merchant Antonio Barezzi hears Giuseppe playing the organ. Since the man has seen many good and bad musicians throughout his life, he immediately understands that the young boy is destined for a grand destiny. He believes that little Verdi will eventually become a person who will be recognized by everyone, from the villagers to the rulers of the countries. It is Barezzi who recommends Verdi to finish his studies at Le Roncol and move to Busseto, where Fernando Provezi, the director of the Philharmonic Society, can deal with him.

Giuseppe follows the advice of a stranger and after a while Provezi himself sees his talent. However, at the same time, the director understands that without a proper education, the guy will not get anything but playing the organ during masses. He undertakes to teach literature to Verdi and instills in him a love of reading, for which the young guy is incredibly grateful to his mentor. He is fond of the works of such world celebrities as Schiller, Shakespeare, Goethe, and the novel The Betrothed (Alexander Mazoni) becomes his most favorite work.

At the age of 18, Verdi goes to Milan and tries to enter musical conservatory, but fails entrance examination and hears from teachers that "he is not trained in the game so well as to qualify for a place in the school." In part, the guy agrees with their position, because all this time he received only a few private lessons and still does not know much. He decides to take a short break and visits several opera houses in Milan for a month. The atmosphere prevailing at the performances makes him change his mind about his own musical career. Now Verdi is sure that he wants to be an opera composer.

Career and recognition

First public speaking Verdi happened in 1830, when he, after Milan, comes back to Busseto. By that time, the guy is impressed by the opera houses in Milan and at the same time completely devastated and angry that he did not enter the Conservatory. Antonio Barezzi, seeing the composer's confusion, undertakes to independently arrange his performance in his tavern, which at that time was considered the largest entertainment establishment in the city. The audience receives Giuseppe with a storm of applause, which again instills confidence in him.

After that, Verdi lived in Busseto for 9 years and performed in Barezzi establishments. But in his heart he understands that he will achieve recognition only in Milan, since his hometown is too small and cannot provide him with a wide audience. So, in 1839, he travels to Milan and almost immediately meets the impresario of the La Scala theater, Bartolomeo Merelli, who offers the talented composer to sign a contract to create two operas.

Having accepted the offer, Verdi wrote the operas The King for an Hour and Nabucco for two years. The second was first staged in 1842 at La Scala. The product was an incredible success. During the year it spread around the world and was staged over 65 times, which allowed it to firmly gain a foothold in the repertoires of many famous theaters. After Nabucco, the world heard several more operas by the composer, including Lombards on a Crusade and Hernani, which became incredibly popular in Italy.

Personal life

Even at the time when Verdi performs in Barezzi establishments, he has an affair with the daughter of a merchant, Margarita. After asking for blessings from their father, young people get married. They have two wonderful children: daughter Virginia Maria Luisa and son Icilio Romano. However living together after a while it becomes for the spouses, rather, a burden than happiness. Verdi at that time takes up writing his first opera, and his wife, seeing her husband's indifference, spends most of her time at her father's institution.

In 1838, a tragedy occurs in the family - Verdi's daughter dies of illness, and a year later, his son. Mother, unable to withstand such a serious shock, dies in 1840 from a long and serious illness. At the same time, it is not known for certain how Verdi reacted to the loss of his relatives. According to some biographers, this unsettled him for a long time and deprived him of inspiration, others are inclined to believe that the composer was too absorbed in work and took the news relatively calmly.

Giuseppe Verdi was born on October 10, 1813 in the village of Roncole, located near the town of Busseto and 25 kilometers from Parma. Verdi grew up in a poor family, his father was a wine merchant in the town of La Renzole in northern Italy.

An important role in the fate of Giuseppe was played by Antonio Barezzi. He was a merchant, but music occupied a large place in his life.

Barezzi hired Verdi as a clerk and accountant for commercial affairs. Clerical work was boring, but not burdensome; on the other hand, work on the musical part consumed a lot of time: Verdi diligently rewrote the scores and parts, participated in rehearsals, and helped amateur musicians learn the parts.

Among busset musicians leading place occupied by Ferdinando Provezi - cathedral organist, conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra, composer and theorist. He introduced Verdi to the basics of composition and conducting technique, enriched his musical and theoretical knowledge, and helped him improve his playing the organ. Convinced of a big musical talent young man, he predicted a brilliant future for him.

Verdi's first composing experiments date back to the time of his studies with Provezi. However, writing young musician was of an amateur nature and added almost nothing to his meager means of subsistence. It was time to go on a more spacious creative road, but for this we still had to learn a lot. So the idea arose of entering the Milan Conservatory - one of the best in Italy. Required for this cash the busset "cash for assistance to the needy" was allocated, on which Barezzi insisted: Verdi received a scholarship of 600 lire for a trip to Milan and conservatory studies (during the first two years). This amount was somewhat replenished by Barezzi from personal funds.

In the late spring of 1832, Verdi arrived in Milan, the largest city in northern Italy, the capital of Lombardy. However, Verdi suffered a bitter disappointment: he was flatly refused admission to the conservatory.

When the doors of the Milan Conservatory slammed shut on Verdi, his first concern was to find a knowledgeable and experienced teacher among the city's musicians. From the persons recommended to him, he chose the composer Vincenzo Lavigna. He willingly agreed to study with Verdi and the first thing he did for him was to provide the opportunity to attend the performances of La Scala for free.

Many performances were held with the participation of the best artistic forces of the country. It is not difficult to imagine with what delight the young Verdi listened to famous singers and singers. He also attended other Milan theaters, as well as rehearsals and concerts of the Philharmonic Society.

Once the Society decided to perform the oratorio "Creation of the World" by the great Austrian composer Joseph Haydn. But it so happened that none of the conductors showed up for the rehearsal, and all the performers were in their places and expressed impatience. Then the head of the Society, P. Mazini, turned to Verdi, who was in the hall, with a request to help out of an awkward situation. What followed next - the composer himself tells in his autobiography.

“I quickly went to the piano and started rehearsing. I remember very well the ironic mockery with which I was greeted ... My young face, my skinny appearance, my poor clothes - all this inspired little respect. But be that as it may, the rehearsal continued, and I myself was gradually inspired. I no longer limited myself to accompaniment, but began to conduct with my right hand, playing with my left. When the rehearsal was over, I received compliments from all sides... As a result of this incident, I was entrusted with conducting the Haydn concerto. The first public performance was such a success that it was immediately necessary to organize a repetition in great hall noble club, which was attended by ... everything high society Milan."

So for the first time Verdi was noticed in musical Milan. One count even commissioned him a cantata for his family celebration. Verdi fulfilled the order, but "His Excellency" did not reward the composer with a single lyre.

But then came the long-awaited and joyful moment in the life of the young composer: he received an order for an opera - the first opera! This order was made by Mazini, who not only led the Philharmonic Society, but was also the director of the so-called Philodramatic Theater. The libretto by A. Piazza, substantially revised by the librettist F. Soler, formed the basis of Verdi's first opera Oberto. True, the order for the opera was not completed as soon as we wanted ...

The years of study in Milan ended. It's time to go back to Busseto and work off the town scholarship. Shortly after his return, Verdi was approved as the conductor of the city commune ... Verdi spent a lot of time directing the philharmonic orchestra and studying with its musicians.

In the spring of 1836, Verdi married Margherita Barezzi, solemnly celebrated by the Busset Philharmonic Society. Soon Verdi became a father: in March 1837, the daughter of Virginia, and in July 1838, the son of Ichilyao.

During the years 1835-1838 Verdi composed great amount works of small form - marches (up to 100!), dances, songs, romances, choirs and others.

His main creative forces were concentrated on the opera Oberto. The composer was so eager to see his opera on stage that, having finished the score, he rewrote all the vocal and orchestral parts with his own hand. Meanwhile, the term of the contract with the Busset commune was coming to an end. In Busseto, where there was no permanent opera house, the composer could no longer stay. Having moved with his family to Milan, Verdi began energetic efforts to stage Oberto. By this time, Masini, who commissioned the opera, was no longer the director of the Philodramatic Theater, and Lavigna, who could have been very useful, had died.

Invaluable assistance in this regard was provided by Mazini, who believed in the talent and great future of Verdi. He enlisted the support of influential people. The premiere was scheduled for the spring of 1839, but due to the illness of one of the leading performers, it was postponed to late autumn. During this time, the libretto and music were partially revised.

The premiere of "Oberto" took place on November 17, 1839 and was a great success. This was largely facilitated by the brilliant performing staff of the play.

The opera was a success - not only in Milan, but also in Turin, Genoa and Naples, where it was soon staged. But these years turn out to be tragic for Verdi: he loses his daughter, son and beloved wife one after another. “I was alone! One! ... - wrote Verdi. “And in the midst of these terrible torments, I had to finish the comic opera.” It is not surprising that The King for an Hour failed the composer. The performance was booed. crash personal life and the failure of the opera struck down Verdi. He didn't want to write anymore.

But one winter evening, wandering aimlessly through the streets of Milan, Verdi met Merelli. After talking with the composer, Merelli brought him to the theater and almost forcibly handed him a handwritten libretto for the new opera Nebuchadnezzar. “Here is the libretto of Soler! Merelli said. - Think about what you can do with this. wonderful material. Take it and read it ... and you can return it back ... "

Although Verdi certainly liked the libretto, he returned it to Merelli. But he did not want to hear about the refusal and, putting the libretto into the composer's pocket, unceremoniously pushed it out of the office and locked himself.

“What was to be done? Verdi recalled. - I returned home with Nabucco in my pocket. Today - one stanza, tomorrow - another; here - one note, there - a whole phrase - so little by little the whole opera arose.

But, of course, these words should not be taken literally: operas are not so easy to create. Only thanks to the huge, hard work and creative inspiration, Verdi was able to complete the large score of Nebuchadnezzar in the autumn of 1841.

The premiere of Nebuchadnezzar took place on March 9, 1842 at La Scala, with best singers and singers. According to contemporaries, such stormy and enthusiastic applause has not been heard in the theater for a long time. At the end of the action, the audience rose from their seats and warmly welcomed the composer. At first, he even considered it an evil mockery: after all, only a year and a half ago, here, he was so mercilessly booed for "Imaginary Stanislav." And suddenly - such a grandiose, stunning success! Until the end of 1842, the opera was performed 65 times (!) - an exceptional phenomenon in the history of La Scala.

The reason for the triumphant success was, first of all, that Verdi in Nebuchadnezzar, despite his biblical story, managed to express the most cherished thoughts and aspirations of patriotic compatriots.

After the production of Nebuchadnezzar, the stern, unsociable Verdi changed and began to visit the society of the progressive Milanese intelligentsia. This society constantly gathered in the house of the ardent patriot of Italy - Clarina Maffei. With her at Verdi's long years friendships developed, embodied in correspondence that continued until her death. Clarina's husband - Andrea Maffei - was a poet and translator. On his poems, Verdi composed two romances, and later, on his own libretto, the opera The Robbers based on Schiller's drama. The composer's connection with the Maffei society provided big influence on final formation his political and creative ideals.

Among the poets of the "Renaissance" and the closest friends of A. Manzoni was Tommaso Grossi - the author of satirical poems, dramas and other works. Based on one of the sections of the famous poem "Jerusalem Liberated" by the outstanding Italian poet Torquato Tasso Grossi, he wrote the poem "Giselda". This poem served as material for opera libretto Solera, on which Verdi wrote the next, fourth opera, entitled Lombards in the First Crusade.

But just as in the Nebuchadnezzar, the Biblical Jews meant modern Italians, so in the Lombards, the crusaders meant the patriots of modern Italy.

This "encryption" of the idea of ​​the opera soon determined great success Lombards all over the country. However, the patriotic essence of the opera did not escape the attention of the Austrian authorities: they put obstacles in the way of staging and allowed it only after changes in the libretto.

The Lombards premiered at La Scala on February 11, 1843. The performance turned into a vivid political demonstration, which greatly alarmed the Austrian authorities. The final chorus of the crusaders was perceived as a passionate appeal of the Italian people to fight for the freedom of their homeland. After the production in Milan, the triumphal procession of the Lombards began in other cities of Italy and European countries, and it was also staged in Russia.

"Nebuchadnezzar" and "Lombards" glorified Verdi throughout Italy. Opera houses one after another began to offer him orders for new operas. One of the first commissions was made by the Venetian theater La Fenice, which left the choice of plot to the composer's discretion and recommended the librettist Francesco Piave, who has since become one of Verdi's main collaborators and closest friends for many years. A number of his subsequent operas, including such masterpieces as Rigoletto and La Traviata, were written to librettos by Piave.

Having accepted the order, the composer began to search for a plot. After going through a few literary works, he settled on the drama "Ernani" French writer, playwright and poet Victor Hugo - then already won European fame with the novel Notre Dame Cathedral.

The drama "Ernani", first staged in Paris in February 1830, is imbued with a freedom-loving spirit, romantic excitement. Working on "Ernani" with passion, the composer wrote the score of the four-act opera in a few months. The premiere of "Ernani" took place on March 9, 1844 at the Venetian theater "La Fenice". The success was huge. The plot of the opera ideological content turned out to be in tune with the Italians: the noble appearance of the persecuted Ernani reminded of the patriots expelled from the country, the call to fight for the liberation of the homeland was heard in the choir of conspirators, the glorification of knightly honor and valor woke up a sense of patriotic duty. Hernani performances turned into vivid political demonstrations.

In those years, Verdi developed an exceptionally intense creative activity: the premiere followed the premiere. Less than eight months after the premiere of Hernani, on November 3, 1844, the first performance of Verdi's new, already sixth opera, The Two Foscari, took place at the Rome theater Argentina. Her literary source was tragedy of the same name great English poet and playwright George-Gordon Byron.

After Byron, Verdi's attention was attracted by the great German poet and playwright Friedrich Schiller, namely, his historical tragedy The Maid of Orleans. Heroic and yet touching image patriotic girls, embodied in Schiller's tragedy, inspired Verdi to create the opera Giovanna d'Arco (libretto by Soler). It premiered at La Scala in Milan on February 15, 1845. The opera was at first a rather resounding success - mainly due to the famous young prima donna Erminia Fredzolini, who performed leading role, but as soon as this role passed to other performers, interest in the opera cooled down, and she left the stage.

Soon took place new premiere- opera "Alzira" - based on the tragedy of Voltaire. Neapolitan theater-goers applauded the new opera rather unanimously, but its success also turned out to be short-lived.

Attila is the title of Verdi's next opera. The material for its libretto was the tragedy of the German playwright Zacharias Werner - "Attila - King of the Huns".

The premiere of "Attila", which took place on March 17, 1846 at the Venetian theater "La Fenice", was held with a hot patriotic upsurge of performers and listeners. A storm of enthusiasm and shouts - "We, we Italy!" - caused the phrase of the Roman commander Aetius, addressed to Attila: “Take the whole world for yourself, only Italy, leave Italy to me!”

Verdi from his youth admired the genius of Shakespeare - he enthusiastically read and re-read his tragedies, dramas, historical chronicles, comedies, and also visited their performances. He fulfilled his cherished dream - to compose an opera based on Shakespeare's plot - at the age of 34: he chose the tragedy "Macbeth" as a literary source for his next, tenth opera.

The premiere of Macbeth took place on March 14, 1847 in Florence. The opera was a great success both here and in Venice, where it was soon staged. The scenes of Macbeth, in which the patriots act, aroused great enthusiasm in the audience. One of the scenes, where it is sung about the devoted homeland, especially captured the listeners; so, when staging “Macbeth” in Venice, they, seized by a single patriotic impulse, picked up the melody with the words “They betrayed their homeland ...” in a powerful chorus.

In the middle of the summer of 1847, the premiere of another opera by the composer, The Robbers, based on the drama of the same name by F. Schiller, took place in London.

After London, Verdi lived in Paris for several months. The historic year 1848 arrived, when a powerful revolutionary wave swept across Europe. In January (even before the start of revolutions in other countries!) A grandiose popular uprising broke out in Sicily, more precisely, in its capital, Palermo.

In close connection with revolutionary events 1848 is the creation by the composer of the outstanding heroic-patriotic opera "The Battle of Legnano". But even before her, Verdi managed to complete the opera Le Corsaire (libretto by Piave after poem of the same name Byron).

In contrast to Le Corsaire, the opera The Battle of Legnano was a resounding success. The plot, drawn from the heroic past of the Italian people, resurrected a historical event on the stage: the defeat in 1176 by the united Lombard troops of the invading army of the German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

Performances of the Battle of Legnano, held in a theater decorated with national flags, were accompanied by bright patriotic demonstrations by the Romans, who proclaimed a republic in February 1849.

Not even a year had passed since the Rome premiere of The Battle of Legnano, when in December 1849 Verdi's new opera Luisa Miller was staged at the San Carlo Theater in Neapolitan. Her literary source- Schiller's "philistine drama" "Cunning and Love", directed against class inequality and princely despotism.

"Louise Miller" is Verdi's first lyric-everyday opera, in which actors are ordinary people. After being staged in Naples, Louise Miller went around a number of stages in Italy and other countries.

Verdi is tired of leading nomadic image life, he wanted to firmly settle somewhere, especially since he was no longer alone. Just at that time, in the vicinity of Busseto, a rather rich estate of Sant'Agata was being sold. Verdi, who then had significant funds, bought it and in early 1850 moved here with his wife for permanent residence.

ebullient composer activity forced Verdi to travel around Europe, but Sant'Agata has since become his favorite residence until the end of his life. Only winter months the composer preferred to spend either in Milan or in the seaside city of Genoa - in the Palazzo Dorn.

The first opera composed in Sant'Agata was Stiffelio, the fifteenth in Verdi's creative portfolio.

During the period of work on Stiffelio, Verdi considered plans for future operas and partially sketched music for them. Even then he was already considered one of the greatest composers, but the highest flowering of his work was just coming: ahead were operas that brought him fame as the “musical ruler of Europe”.

Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata have become the most popular operas in the world. Created one after another in less than a two-year period, close to each other in the nature of music, they form, as it were, a trilogy.

The literary source of "Rigoletto" is one of the best tragedies of Victor Hugo "The King is having fun". First presented in Paris on November 2, 1832, immediately after the premiere, by order of the government, the opera was excluded from the repertoire - as a play "offensive to morality", since the author denounced the dissolute French king in it as the first half of the XVI century of Francis I.

Secluded in Busseto, Verdi worked with such intensity that he wrote the opera in 40 days. The premiere of "Rigoletto" took place on March 11, 1851 at the Venetian theater "La Fenice", on whose order the opera was composed. The performance was a huge success, and the duke's song, as the composer expected, made a splash. Dispersing from the theater, the audience sang or whistled her playful tune.

After the performance of the opera, the composer said: "I am pleased with myself and think that I will never write a better one." Until the end of his life, he considered "Rigoletto" his best opera. It was appreciated by both Verdi's contemporaries and subsequent generations. Rigoletto is still one of the most popular operas in the world.

After the premiere of Rigoletto, Verdi almost immediately set about developing the script for the next opera, Il trovatore. However, about two years passed before this opera saw the light of the limelight. The reasons that hindered the work were various: this was the death of a dearly beloved mother, and troubles with censorship associated with the production of Rigoletto in Rome, and sudden death Cammarano, whom Verdi brought to work on the libretto of Il trovatore.

Only by the autumn of 1852 did L. Bardare complete the unfinished libretto. Months of hard work passed, and on December 14 of the same year, the composer wrote to Rome, where the premiere was planned: “...“ Il trovatore ”is completely finished: all the notes are in place, and I am satisfied. Enough to keep the Romans happy!”

Il trovatore premiered at the Apollo Theater in Rome on January 19, 1853. Although in the morning the Tiber, raging and overflowing its banks, almost disrupted the premiere. Not even seven weeks had passed since the Roman premiere of Il trovatore, when on March 6, 1853, a new opera by Verdi, La Traviata, was staged at the Venetian theater La Fenice.

Using rich vocal and orchestral means of expression, Verdi created a new kind of opera. "La Traviata" is a deeply truthful psychological musical drama from the life of contemporaries - ordinary people. For mid-nineteenth century, it was new and bold, since earlier operas were dominated by historical, biblical, mythological subjects. Verdi's innovation was not to the liking of ordinary theatergoers. The first Venetian production was a complete failure.

On March 6, 1854, the second Venice premiere took place, this time at the San Benedetto Theatre. The opera was a success: the audience not only understood it, but also fell in love with it. Soon "La Traviata" became the most popular opera in Italy and other countries of the world. It is characteristic that Verdi himself, once asked which of his operas he loves the most, replied that as a professional he puts Rigoletto higher, but as an amateur he prefers La Traviata.

In the years 1850-1860, Verdi's operas are on all the major stages in Europe. For St. Petersburg, the composer writes the opera "Force of Destiny", for Paris - "Sicilian Vespers", "Don Carlos", for Naples - "Masquerade Ball".

The best of these operas is Un ballo in maschera. The glory of the Masquerade Ball quickly spread throughout Italy and far beyond its borders; he took a firm place in the world operatic repertoire.

Another opera by Verdi - "The Power of Destiny" - was written by order of the directorate of St. Petersburg imperial theaters. This opera was intended for an Italian troupe, which had been constantly performing in St. Petersburg since 1843 and had an exceptional success. On November 10, 1862, the premiere took place. Petersburgers warmly welcomed the famous composer. On November 15, he wrote in a letter to one of his friends: "There were three performances ... with a crowded theater and with excellent success."

In the late 1860s, Verdi received an offer from the Egyptian government to write an opera for the new theater in Cairo with a patriotic plot from Egyptian life to decorate the celebrations associated with the opening of the Suez Canal. The unusual nature of the proposal puzzled the composer at first, and he refused to accept it; but when in the spring of 1870 he got acquainted with the script developed by the French scientist (specialist in ancient Egyptian culture) A. Mariette, he was so carried away by the plot that he accepted the offer.

The opera was mostly completed by the end of 1870. The premiere was originally scheduled for the winter season of 1870-1871, but due to the tense international situation (the Franco-Prussian war) it had to be postponed.

The Cairo premiere of Aida took place on December 24, 1871. According to academician B. V. Asafiev, “it was one of the most brilliant and enthusiastic performances in the entire history of opera.”

In the spring of 1872, the triumphal procession of "Aida" began along other Italian opera scenes, and soon she became famous throughout Europe, including Russia, and in America. From now on, Verdi began to be spoken of as brilliant composer. Even those professional musicians and critics who were prejudiced against Verdi's music now acknowledge huge talent composer, his exceptional merits in the field operatic art. Tchaikovsky recognized the creator of "Aida" as a genius and said that the name of Verdi should be inscribed on the tablets of history next to the greatest names.

The melodic richness of "Aida" strikes with its richness and diversity. In no other opera did Verdi show such generous and inexhaustible melodic ingenuity as here. At the same time, the melodies of "Aida" are marked by exceptional beauty, expressiveness, nobility, originality; they do not have a trace of a stamp, routine, "charm", which often sinned the old Italian opera composers, and Verdi himself in the early and partly middle periods of creativity. In May 1873, Verdi, who was then living in Sant'Agata, was deeply saddened by the news of the death of 88-year-old Alessandro Manzoni. Verdi's love and respect for this patriotic writer were boundless. In order to adequately honor the memory of his glorious compatriot, the composer decided to create a Requiem on the first anniversary of his death. It took Verdi no more than ten months to create the Requiem, and on May 22, 1874, it was first performed under the direction of the author in the church of St. Mark in Milan. The richness and expressiveness of the melody, the freshness and boldness of the harmonies, the colorful orchestration, the harmony of the form, the mastery of polyphonic technique put Verdi's Requiem among the most outstanding works of this genre.

The formation of a unified Italian state did not justify the hopes of Verdi, like many other patriots. The political reaction aroused deep bitterness in the composer. Verdi's fears aroused and music life Italy: neglect of national classics, blind imitation of Wagner, whose work Verdi greatly appreciated. A new upsurge came from the aged author in the 1880s. At the age of 75, he began writing an opera based on the plot of Shakespeare's play Othello. Opposite feelings - passion and love, fidelity and intrigue are conveyed in it with amazing psychological certainty. In "Othello" all that ingenious that Verdi achieved in his life is connected. Music world was shocked. But this opera did not become the finale of the creative path. When Verdi was already 80 years old, he wrote new masterpiece- the comic opera "Falstaff" based on Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor" - a work so perfect, realistic, with an amazing polyphonic finale - a fugue, that it was immediately recognized as the highest achievement of world opera.

September 10, 1898 Verdi turned 85 years old. "... My name smells like the era of mummies - I myself dry up when I just mutter this name to myself," he woefully admitted. The quiet and slow fading of the composer's vitality continued for more than two more years.

Soon after humanity solemnly welcomed the 20th century, Verdi, who lived in a Milan hotel, was stricken with paralysis and a week later, early in the morning on January 27, 1901, died at the age of 88. National mourning was declared throughout Italy.

One of the colors of the flag of the Italian Republic - green, verde, verdi ... Amazing Providence chose a man with consonant name, Giuseppe Verdi, to become a symbol of the unification of Italy and a composer, without whom the opera would never have been the way we know it.

short biography

Giuseppe Verdi was born on October 10, 1813 into a poor family of an innkeeper and a spinner who lived in the village of Roncole near the town of Busetto (now it is the Emilia-Romagna region). From the age of five, the boy begins to study musical notation and play the organ in a local church. Already in 1823 young talent notes a wealthy businessman, and at the same time a member of the Philharmonic Society of Busetto, Antonio Barezzi, who will support the composer until his death. Thanks to his help, Giuseppe moved to Busetto to study at the gymnasium, and two years later he began taking lessons in counterpoint. Fifteen-year-old Verdi is already the author of a symphony. After graduating from the gymnasium in 1830, the young man settled in the house of his benefactor, where he gives vocal and piano lessons to Margherita, daughter of Barezzi. In 1836, the girl becomes his wife.

An attempt to enter the Milan Conservatory was unsuccessful. But Giuseppe cannot return to Busetto with his head bowed. After staying in Milan, he takes private lessons from one of the best teachers and head of the La Scala Orchestra, Vincenzo Lavigna. Thanks to a fortunate combination of circumstances, he receives an order from La Scala for his first opera. In subsequent years, the composer's children are born. However, happiness is deceptive. Not having lived even a year and a half, my daughter dies. Verdi moves to Milan with his family. This city was destined to witness both the grand glory of the maestro and his most bitter losses. In 1839, a young son suddenly died, and less than a year later, Margherita also died. So, by the age of twenty-six, Verdi had lost his entire family.

For almost two years, Verdi barely made ends meet and wanted to quit music. But again, chance intervened, thanks to which Nabucco was born, after the premiere of which in 1842 it came to a resounding success and all-European recognition. The 40-50 years were the most productive in terms of creativity: Verdi wrote 20 of his 26 operas. Since 1847, Giuseppina Strepponi, the singer who performed the part of Abigail at the premiere of Nabucco, became the actual wife of the composer. Verdi affectionately called her Peppina, but he married her only 12 years later. Giuseppina had a past that was questionable from the point of view of morality of that era and three children from different men. The couple had no joint children, and in 1867 they adopted a little niece. Since 1851, Verdi has been living in Sant'Agata, his own estate near Busetto, agriculture and horse breeding. The composer actively participated in political life of his country: in 1860 he became a deputy of the first Italian parliament, and in 1874 - a senator in Rome. In 1899, a boarding house for elderly musicians, built at his expense, was opened in Milan. Verdi, who died in Milan on January 27, 1901, was buried in the crypt of this institution. He outlived his Peppina by as much as 13 years ... His funeral grew into a large procession to see the composer off last way more than 200,000 people came.

Interesting Facts

• The main operatic opponent of G. Verdi - Richard Wagner - was born with him in the same year, but died 18 years earlier. It is noteworthy that over the years Verdi wrote only two operas - “ Othello" And " falstaff". The composers have never met, but there are many intersections in their destinies. One of them is Venice. There were premieres in this city Traviata" And " Rigoletto", and Wagner died at the Palazzo Vendramin Calergi. F. Werfel's book “Verdi. Opera novel.

• The native village of the composer is now officially called Roncole Verdi, the Milan Conservatory is also named after him, in which the musician could not enter.
• The composer's fifth opera, Ernani, brought Verdi a record fee for him, which allowed him to think about buying his own estate.
• Britain's Queen Victoria, after attending the premiere of "Robbers", wrote in her diary that the music was "noisy and banal".
• The maestro rightly called Rigoletto an opera of duets, almost completely devoid of arias and traditional choral finales.
• It is believed that not every opera house can afford to stage " Troubadour" or " Masquerade ball”, since both require four magnificent voices at once - soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone.
• Statistics show that Verdi is the most performed opera composer, and La Traviata is the most opera performed on the planet.
• "Viva VERDI" is both a tribute to the composer and an acronym for the supporters of Italian unification, where VERDI meant: Vittorio Emanuele Re D'Italia (Victor Emmanuel - King of Italy).
• There are two " Don Carlos- French and Italian. They differ not only in the language of the libretto, in fact they are two different versions operas. So what is considered to be the "genuine" "Don Carlos"? It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally, since there are even differences between the version presented at the Paris premiere and the one performed at the second performance two days later. There are not one, but at least three Italian versions: the first, created for a production in Naples in 1872, a four-act version of 1884 for La Scala, a five-act version without a ballet in 1886 for a performance in Modena. The most famous, performed and published on discs today are the classic French version and the "Milanese" Italian version.
• Since 1913, the annual opera festival "Arena di Verona" has been held in the ancient Roman amphitheater of Verona. The first performance was " Aida” in honor of the centenary of Verdi. In 2013, "Aida" was also the center of the anniversary festival program.

Verdi's music in cinema

The list of films where Verdi's music sounds is endless, there are more than a thousand of them, the newest and most popular:

• La La Land (2016)
• 007: SPECTRE (2015)
• I am the beginning (2014)
• Django Unchained (2012)
• Madagascar 3 (2012)
• Twilight (2008)

Let's focus on a few interesting adaptations operas by Verdi:

• Sophia Loren played Aida in film of the same name 1953, Renata Tebaldi sang for her.
• In 1982, Franco Zeffirelli's amazing picture "La Traviata" with Teresa Stratas and Placido Domingo came out - beautiful, stylish, with incredibly reliable characters, devoid of operatic pretentiousness.
• The creative union of Domingo and Zeffirelli found a continuation in the work four years later on the film adaptation of Othello.
• Curious is the transformation of Domingo in the baritone part of Rigoletto in the 2010 film Rigoletto in Mantua, filmed in historical interiors.

Biographical films about the life of the great Italian, on the contrary, are not so many. The most famous of these is the 1982 Italian mini-series Verdi, in which the title role was played by British actor Ronald Pickup, and Giuseppina Strepponi was played by the famous ballerina Carla Fracci. This painting gives a broad view of Verdi's personality and historical events of that time, inextricably linked not only with the life of the composer, but also with the fate of all of Europe. Renato Castellani created a three-dimensional film portrait of Verdi, the film contains the true words of the maestro from his letters and memoirs of his contemporaries. Ronald Pickup accurately conveyed the explosive, often overcast, but simple and sincere nature of the frenetic genius.

"Aida" and Requiem further increased the glory of Verdi. He was sixty years old. And despite the fact that the creative forces have not dried up, his voice is silent for a long time.

Mazzini wrote to him in 1848: “What Garibaldi and I do in politics, what our mutual friend Manzoni does in poetry, you do in music. We all serve the people as best we can.” It was in this way - as serving the interests of the people - that Verdi understood his creative task. But over the years, watching the onset of political reaction, he came into conflict with the Italian reality surrounding him. A feeling of deep disappointment crept into his soul. Verdi departs from social activities, reluctantly accepts the title of senator assigned to him in 1860 (in 1865 he refuses it), for a long time, without leaving, he lives on his estate of Sant'Agata, where he is engaged in agriculture, meets few people. He bitterly wrote after the death of Rossini: “... it was one of the glorious names of Italy. When there will be no other (the letter spoke of Manzoni.- M. D.) - what remains for us? Our ministers and glorious "exploits" under Lissa and Custozza? ... " (Meaning the defeat of Italy in the war with Austria.).

Verdi is also hurt by the betrayal of national ideals (a direct consequence of the political reaction!), which is observed among the figures of Russian art. The fashion for everything foreign has come. The repertoire of musical theaters in Italy is dominated by foreign authors. Young composers are fond of Wagner. Verdi feels alone.

Under these conditions, he is even more deeply aware of his social vocation, which he sees in preserving and further developing at the level of new ideological tasks and aesthetic requirements. classical traditions Italian opera. The ingenious patriotic composer is now even more demanding than before in his work and in those works that in the 1950s won him world fame. He cannot rest on what he has achieved. This necessitates further deepening and improvement of the realistic method.

Thus, ten long years of reflection pass, which separate the date of completion of the Requiem from the start of work on Othello. But will pass three years of hard work before the premiere of Verdi's brilliant opera takes place.

Not a single work required such tension from the composer. creative forces, such careful consideration of its every detail, as "Othello". And not because Verdi is already over seventy years old: the music he wrote is striking in its freshness and spontaneity, it was born from a single impulse. Deep sense of responsibility for the future Italian music caused the composer to be so slow. This is his creative testament: he must give an even higher and more perfect expression of the national traditions of the national opera. There is another circumstance that made Verdi think through the dramaturgy of his work in such detail - its literary source belongs to Shakespeare, Verdi's favorite writer.

A talented and faithful assistant in this work was Arrigo Boito (Boito's opera Mephistopheles, which gained European fame, was written in 1868 (second edition - 1879). The composer was then fond of Wagner. Aida forced him to reconsider his artistic positions. Creative friendship with Verdi began in 1881, when Boito took part in the revision of the libretto of Simon Bocanegra.)- by that time already famous composer, a gifted writer and poet who sacrificed his creative activity in order to become Verdi's librettist. As early as 1881, Boito introduced Verdi full text libretto. However, the composer's idea only gradually matured. In 1884, he came to grips with its implementation, forcing Boito to radically redo a lot of things (the finale of Act I; Iago's monologue - in II, in the same place - Desdemona's exit; completely III act; last act had four editions). The music was composed over two years. The premiere of Otello, in the preparation of which Verdi took an active part, took place in Milan in 1887. It was a triumph of Italian art.

“The ingenious old man Verdi in “Aida” and “Othello” opens up new paths for Italian musicians,” Tchaikovsky noted in 1888. (Having heard "Aida" in 1876 in Moscow, Tchaikovsky said that he himself could not write an opera on such a plot and with such characters.). Verdi developed these ways in the genre of comic opera. For decades, other agendas had distracted him. But it is known that in the late 60s he wanted to write an opera based on the plot of Moliere's Tartuffe, and even before that, Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. These plans were not realized, only at the end of his life he managed to create a work of the comic genre.

"Falstaff" (1893) - last opera Verdi. It uses content from both The Merry Wives of Windsor and comic interludes from historical chronicle Shakespeare's Henry IV.

The work of the eighty-year-old master strikes with youthful cheerfulness, a bizarre combination of cheerful buffoonery with sharp satire (in the image of the burghers of Windsor), light humorous lyrics (of the couple in love Nanetta and Fenton) with deep psychological analysis the main image of Falstaff, about which Verdi said that "this is not just a character, but a type!". In the motley succession of episodes, where masterfully honed ensembles play an important role (the quartet and nonet of the 2nd scene, the final fugue sparkling with wit), the unifying role of the orchestra increases, extremely brilliant and diverse in the use of individual timbres. However, the orchestra does not obscure, but sets off the richness of melodic characteristics vocal parts. In this respect, "Falstaff" completes those Italian national traditions of comic opera, of which " barber of seville» Rossini. At the same time, in developing methods for the musical and dramatic embodiment of the rapidly unfolding stage action, Falstaff opens new stage in history musical theater. These methods were adopted by young Italian composers, most notably Puccini.

Before last days life Verdi retained clarity of mind, creative inquisitiveness, loyalty to democratic ideals. He died at the age of eighty-seven on January 27, 1901.

The publication was prepared on the basis of the textbook by M. Druskin