Verdi: Ernani

In early 11th-century Scotland, at Macbeth’s castle. During a storm, in a Scottish wood, witches gather to hatch sinister plots. They hear Macbeth and Banquo approaching—Scottish nobles fighting for their king, Duncan—and decide to target Macbeth. Macbeth has become king, but he confides to his wife his fears of having to shed more blood—that of Banquo, who suspects the truth, and of his sons... “Macbeth” is a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei, based on William Shakespeare’s eponymous tragedy. The music was composed between 1846 and 1847. Piave’s libretto is based on Carlo Rusconi’s prose translation, published in Turin in 1838. The opera premiered at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence on March 14, 1847. From the box set “Tutto Verdi,” featuring 27 of Verdi’s operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on October 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, and 17, 2006.

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Oberto (2007) Parma. Oberto was the first of Verdi’s operas to be staged and was heard for the first time at La Scala, Milan, in November 1839. As a young and unknown composer, Verdi was subject to the rules then governing the opera industry in Italy. Even so, there are already many scenes in this early work that reveal unmistakable signs of the composer’s individual style.

In a Tyrolean village in the first half of the 17th century. Luisa, Miller’s daughter, and Carlo, a young man she met in the village, are deeply in love. When Wurm, a courtier who is also in love with Luisa, asks Miller for his daughter’s hand in marriage, Miller replies that he cannot give his daughter away against her will. Offended, Wurm then reveals Carlo’s true identity: he is Rodolfo, the son of Count Walter. ‘Luisa Miller’ is an opera in three acts, the fourteenth by Giuseppe Verdi, then aged 36. It premiered at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on 8 December 1849. Taken from the ‘Tutto Verdi’ box set of 27 Verdi operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 20 and 22 October 2007.

In the 16th century, in Cyprus, at the port of Famagusta, General Otello arrives with his ship after defeating the Turkish navy in the Mediterranean and securing Venetian rule over Cyprus, but jealousy, conspiracy and revenge lead to tragedy. ‘Otello’ is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Arrigo Boito based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Othello, the Moor of Venice’, and premiered on 5 February 1887 at La Scala in Milan. Taken from the ‘Tutto Verdi’ box set of 27 Verdi operas. Recorded live at the Salzburg Festival, 5–10 August 2008.

In Italy, in Mantua and its surroundings, in the 16th century. Although newly in love, the Duke of Mantua extols infidelity. His court jester, Rigoletto, mocks the elderly Monterone, who has come to demand the return of his daughter, whom the Duke has seduced. Monterone casts a curse on Rigoletto. The hitman Sparafucile offers his services to the jester, as a man is lurking around the young woman he is protecting. Rigoletto reflects on his dual role as jester and tormented father, for this young woman—whom the courtiers believe he is hiding a romantic affair with—is in fact his own daughter, Gilda. “Rigoletto” is an Italian opera in three acts and four scenes by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Victor Hugo’s 1832 play “Le roi s’amuse.” It premiered on March 11, 1851, at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. From the “Tutto Verdi” box set of 27 Verdi operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on October 16, 20, and 22, 2008.

In Domrémy, in 1429, Charles VII (Carlo) informed the King of England of his intention to abdicate or to cease fighting, as the Virgin Mary had appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to lay down his arms in a wood. When the king recounted this dream, he was told of a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary situated in that very wood. He decided to go there and lay down his arms. In the same forest, there was also a small sheepfold where Jacques (Giacomo) and his daughter Jeanne (Giovanna) lived. Jeanne returns from the little chapel of the Virgin Mary, disheartened at being unable to fight for France, which is increasingly under English rule. Good spirits visit Jeanne and tell her that her greatest wish is about to come true: she will finally be able to fight, but must not succumb to any worldly love. Premiered on 3 November 1844. From the box set ‘Tutto Verdi’ featuring 27 of Verdi’s operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 7 and 17 October 2008.

The corsair Corrado, having taken refuge on an island in the Aegean Sea, decides to launch an expedition against the Muslims, during which he is taken prisoner. Gulnara, the favorite of Pasha Seïd, falls in love with Corrado and helps him escape after murdering Seïd herself. Meanwhile, Medora, Corrado’s beloved, has poisoned herself upon hearing the false news of her lover’s death. She dies in the arms of her lover, who has returned too late. Corrado, in despair, throws himself into the sea, while Gulnara collapses, overcome by grief. “Il corsaro” is a lyric drama (“melodramma tragico”) in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Lord Byron’s poem “The Corsair.” It premiered on October 25, 1848, at the Grand Theatre in Trieste. The opera was taken off the bill after three performances and replaced by “Macbeth.” From the “Tutto Verdi” box set of 27 Verdi operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on October 19 and 21, 2008.

I Lombardi alla prima crociata (The Lombards on the First Crusade) was Verdi’s fourth opera and received its first performance at La Scala, Milan, in February 1843. The grandiloquent subject matter is fleshed-out with broad-brushed musical and dramatic effects and lavish choral scenes created a correspondingly impressive impact. A great success in Milan, it spread to the rest of Europe within a matter of only a few years.

Jacopo, son of Doge Francesco Foscari, was accused of murder and banished from Venice. Longing for his homeland, he writes to the Duke of Milan asking him to intercede with the city council. The letter is intercepted, and Jacopo is brought back to Venice to face further questioning. An opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on a historical play by George Byron. Premiered on 3 November 1844. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas, ‘Tutto Verdi’. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 3, 6, 8, 11 and 19 May 2005.

‘Nabucco’, or ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ (Italian: Nabucco), is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi with a libretto by T. Solera, based on events described in the Bible. (Nabucco is a shortened Italian rendering of the name of King Nebuchadnezzar II). It was this opera, the third in Verdi’s oeuvre, that brought him true fame. It tells of the tribulations of the Jews, their captivity by the Babylonians, and their subsequent release to their homeland by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. Giuseppe Verdi’s opera ‘Nabucco’, is a monumental work that tells the story of the enslavement of the Hebrew people by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco) and their journey towards redemption. The premiere took place on 9 March 1842 at La Scala in Milan. The first performance of the final version was held at the Teatro San Giacomo in Corfu in September 1844. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas, ‘Tutto Verdi’. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma, 12–14 October 2009.

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Un giorno di regno (2010) Parma. 'Un giorno di regno, ossia il finto Stanislao' ('A One-Day Reign, or The Pretend Stanislaus', but often translated into English as 'King for a Day') is an operatic melodramma giocoso in two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto written in 1818 by Felice Romani. Originally written for the Bohemian composer Adalbert Gyrowetz, the libretto was based on the play 'Le faux Stanislas' written by the Frenchman Alexandre Vincent Pineu-Duval in 1808.

In the 14th century, Genoa was torn apart by strife between the patricians and the plebeians. The sailor Simon Boccanegra and his lover Maria Fiesco bore the brunt of these internal conflicts: Maria’s father was none other than the city’s doge, the patrician Jacopo Fiesco. When he learnt that Maria had borne Simon a child, he placed his daughter under house arrest. The two lovers had entrusted their daughter to an elderly servant, but she died, and the child mysteriously disappeared. ‘Simon Boccanegra’ is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave based on a play by Antonio García Gutiérrez. The first version premiered on 12 March 1857 at La Fenice in Venice. A second version, with a libretto revised by Arrigo Boito, premiered 24 years later, on 24 March 1881, at La Scala in Milan. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas, “Tutto Verdi”. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 23, 25 and 28 March 2010.

In medieval Spain, the gypsy Azucena abducted the son of the Count of Luna to avenge her mother, whom the old count had sent to the stake. She raised him as her own son, under the name of Manrico. In the service of Urgel and banished by the King of Aragon, Manrico nevertheless falls in love with Leonora, the Queen’s lady-in-waiting. ‘Il trovatore’ is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Salvatore Cammarano and Leone Emanuele Bardare, based on the Spanish drama ‘El Trovador’ (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It premiered on 19 January 1853 at the Teatro Apollo in Rome, and was subsequently performed in Paris, at the Théâtre-Italien, in its original version, on 23 December 1854. From the box set “Tutto Verdi”, featuring 27 of Verdi’s operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 5 and 9 October 2010.

In March 1282, in Palermo during the Easter celebrations. Duchess Hélène, whose brother has been sentenced to death, is forced by a French soldier to sing. Through her song, she stirs up the Sicilians’ hatred against the French. Montfort, the governor, intervenes and calms everyone down. Henri appears; he has just been pardoned and insults Montfort, unaware that the latter is standing right in front of him... ‘I vespri siciliani’ (The Sicilian Vespers) is a grand opera in five acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier. Premiered on 13 June 1855 at the Opéra Le Peletier in Paris. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas, “Tutto Verdi”. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 13 and 17 October 2010.

In Aquileia, around the middle of the 5th century. Odabella, daughter of the city’s lord, lost her family during the sacking carried out by Attila and intends to take revenge by killing him (Santo di patria indefinito amor). She herself was spared by Uldino, one of Attila’s slaves. Impressed by her courage, Attila gives her his sword. General Ezio, sent from Rome, proposes to Attila a deal to divide the Empire (Avrai tu l'universo, resti l'Italia a me!). But Attila denounces him as a traitor and refuses. Attila is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Temistocle Solera based on Zacharias Werner’s tragedy, Attila, König der Hunnen, and premiered at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice on March 17, 1846. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas, “Tutto Verdi.” Recorded live at the Teatro Verdi in Busseto on October 21 and 25, 2010.

Donna Leonora, daughter of the Marquis of Calatrava, is about to flee secretly with her lover Don Alvaro (son of the Viceroy of Mexico and an Inca princess). The Marquis bursts in unexpectedly. Alvaro hesitates to raise his weapon against his lover’s father and throws his pistol. As it falls, the pistol goes off and the Marquis is mortally wounded. As he lies dying, he curses his daughter. Don Carlo di Vargas, Leonora’s brother, resolves to avenge his sister and her fiancé for their father’s death. In the turmoil of the chase, Leonora and Alvaro lose track of one another... ‘La forza del destino’ is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, adapted from the play ‘Don Álvaro o la fuerza del destino’ (Spain, 1835) by Ángel de Saavedra, the Duke of Rivas. Premiered on 10 November 1862 at the Imperial Theatre in Saint Petersburg. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas “Tutto Verdi”. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 2 and 5 February 2011.

In Boston, at the governor’s palace. The courtiers, divided into friends and foes—including Tom and Samuel—await the arrival of the governor, Count Riccardo di Warwick. He makes his entrance, and his page, Oscar, hands him the guest list for the masked ball scheduled for the following day. Among the guests is Amelia, whom he secretly loves, but who is the wife of his adviser and friend Renato. Renato arrives and believes he has guessed the cause of his master’s visible distress: a plot being hatched against his life. But Riccardo wishes to ignore this plot and its instigators; in vain does Renato implore him not to take the matter lightly... ‘Un ballo in maschera’ is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Antonio Somma based on a story by Eugène Scribe. It premiered on 17 February 1859 at the Teatro Apollo in Rome. From the ‘Tutto Verdi’ box set of 27 Verdi operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio di Parma on 1, 5, 9, 13, 20 and 23 October 2011.

A requiem inspired by the death, on May 22, 1873, of the Italian poet and writer Alessandro Manzoni, author of the novel “The Betrothal”. Giuseppe Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem” (more commonly known as the “Verdi Requiem”) is a requiem mass for soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass), double choir, and orchestra, premiered on May 22, 1874, at the Church of San Marco in Milan. The Requiem is Verdi’s only major composition not intended for the opera. From the 27-opera Verdi box set “Tutto Verdi.” Recorded live at the Teatro Farnese in Parma on October 8, 2011.

In England, at Windsor during the reign of Henry IV of England (1399–1413). Sir John Falstaff, also known as ‘Il Pancione’ (the Potbelly), has two identical love letters sent out, one to Meg Page and the other to Alice Ford, then delivers a sarcastic lecture on honour to his servants Bardolfo and Pistola. In Ford’s garden, his wife Alice and her friend Meg notice the similarity between Falstaff’s letters and decide to take revenge on him by pretending that Alice is receiving him at home whilst Ford is away. ‘Falstaff’ is a three-act opera buffa by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare’s ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ and ‘Henry IV’, Parts I and II. It premiered on 9 February 1893 at La Scala in Milan and on 18 April 1894 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. It was the last opera composed by the composer, then aged 80. Taken from the 27-opera Verdi box set “Tutto Verdi”. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 10, 12, 15, 22 and 25 October 2011.

Discover Verdi’s magnificent ‘hometown’, the Parma region. From the small village of Le Roncole, near Parma, where Verdi was born, to the estate situated close to Parma, where Verdi always returned and chose to spend most of his life, despite the great triumphs he achieved in Milan, Venice, Naples and other major cities. We discover how Verdi ‘still lives on’ in the region and has even shaped the local landscape, from the daily life of a simple farmer to that of one of the world’s greatest opera stars, Leo Nucci, who is a regular guest at the Verdi Festival in Parma. From the 27-opera box set ‘Tutto Verdi’.

Part of Tutto Verdi series - La battaglia di Legnano (2012) Trieste. 'La battaglia di Legnano' ('The Battle of Legnano') is an opera in four acts, with music by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian-language libretto by Salvadore Cammarano. Most of the early Verdi operas are sort of rare for a reason. They do not rise to the heights of genius that his middle period and late period operas did. However, there are always some beautiful arias or choruses and most of them are great fun......sort of like bel canto on steroids! What I mean is that you can hear that he was coming from the bel canto tradition, but he liked to inject a lot more power into the characters and their music.

Set in Memphis and Thebes during the time of the pharaohs, the story centres on a love affair between Aida, an Ethiopian slave owned by Amneris, the pharaoh’s daughter, and Radamès, a captain in the Egyptian guard. Their relationship is thwarted by the armed conflict between their two peoples and the jealousy of Amneris, who is in love with Radamès. ‘Aida’ is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni based on a plot by Auguste Mariette, premiered on 24 December 1871 at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo. From the box set ‘Tutto Verdi’, featuring 27 of Verdi’s operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 1 and 5 February 2012.

In Milan and Como during the month of May 1176. Milanese soldiers defend the city under the command of Rolando. He is reunited with Arrigo, his friend from Verona, who had been presumed dead in battle. Arrigo also meets Lida, his former fiancée, who, at her father’s behest, has married Rolando. Meanwhile, Rolando, who is preparing to leave for battle, is approached by Marcovaldo, a German prisoner of war, who hands him a letter from Lida for Arrigo. Rolando’s anger turns to a desire for revenge. Catching Lida and Arrigo in the middle of a conversation, he has his “rival” imprisoned in a tower. “La battaglia di Legnano” (The Battle of Legnano) is a four-act opera by Giuseppe Verdi with a libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, premiered at the Teatro Argentina in Rome on January 27, 1849. From the “Tutto Verdi” box set of 27 Verdi operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Lirico “Giuseppe Verdi” in Trieste on February 23 and 29 and March 2, 2012.

Around 1850, in Paris. At a soirée, Alfredo Germont, a young man from a respectable Provençal family, falls in love with Violetta Valéry, a courtesan. Deeply in love, Violetta gives up her profession and devotes herself entirely to Alfredo. However, Mr Germont senior, in the name of bourgeois respectability, persuades her to break up with his son. Violetta then writes a letter of separation to Alfredo without revealing the real reason for her decision. The fatal illness from which she was already suffering then flares up once more. A month later, Alfredo learns from his father that Violetta never stopped loving him... ‘La traviata’ is a 3 act opera by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave based on the novel ‘The Lady of the Camellias’ by Alexandre Dumas, fils (1848) and its stage adaptation (1852). Premiered on 6 March 1853 at La Fenice in Venice. From the 27-opera Verdi box set “Tutto Verdi”. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 4 April 2012.

In Germany, at the castle of the Count of Stankar, on the banks of the Salzbach and in the vicinity of Salzburg, in the early 19th century. Upon his return from his travels, Pastor Stiffelio recounts his adventures: a boatman had handed him the wallet of a man who, fleeing from a woman’s bedroom, had thrown himself into the river. In the spirit of forgiveness, Stiffelio destroys the piece of evidence, unaware that it is proof that his wife, Lina, is guilty of adultery. ‘Stiffelio’ is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on ‘Le Pasteur ou l’évangile au foyer’ by Émile Souvestre and Eugène Bourgeois. Premiered in its original version on 26 December 1968 at the Teatro Regio in Parma. From the box set of 27 Verdi operas, “Tutto Verdi”. Recorded live at the Teatro Regio in Parma on 18 and 24 April 2012.

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Alzira (2012) Dobbiaco. This is a concert performance. Alzira is an opera in a prologue and two acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, based on the play Alzire, ou les Américains by Voltaire. The first performance was at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, on 12 August 1845.

In 1559 in the Forest of Fontainebleau, during the peace negotiations between France and Spain: under the terms of the treaty, the Infante of Spain, Carlos, was to marry Elisabeth de Valois, the daughter of King Henry II of France. During a hunting party, the Infante Carlos (tenor), who loves (Io la vidi) Elisabeth de Valois (soprano), daughter of the King of France, whom he is soon to marry, manages to meet her and declare his love, which is reciprocated. But his father, the King of Spain, Philip II, decides to marry Elisabeth himself. ‘Don Carlos 7’ is a ‘grand opera à la française’ in five acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on Friedrich von Schiller’s tragedy ‘Don Carlos’, premiered on 11 March 1867 at the Paris Opera. From the box set ‘Tutto Verdi’ featuring 27 of Verdi’s operas. Recorded live at the Teatro Comunale ‘Luciano Pavarotti’ in Modena on 5, 17, 19 and 21 October 2012.