Giuseppi Verdi Pace, pace mio Dio from La Forza Destino — Act IV, Scene 2 Verdi sets the plight of two ill-fated lovers, Alvaro and Leonora, upon the larger context of Italy’s longing quest for independence from Austria near the end of the 18th Century. The lovers are also tragically pitted against prejudice, hate and […]
Giuseppe (Fortunino Francesco) Verdi (b Roncole, near Parma, Italy, October 10, 1813; d Milan, January 27, 1901) Overture to Nabucco Nabucco was premiered in 1842 and was an instant success as well as solidifying Verdi’s career as a composer. It’s extremely fortunate that it did, for had it failed, Verdi’s career would have certainly […]
Giuseppe (Fortunino Francesco) Verdi (b Roncole, near Parma, Italy, October 10, 1813; d Milan, January 27, 1901) Prelude to Aida Most opera audiences have grown up believing that Aida was written for the opening of the Suez Canal. [. . .] but the commissioning of Aida did not occur as we have often been […]
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Come dal ciel precipita from Act II of MacBeth (1847) MacBeth was Verdi’s first journey into Shakespeare’s genius, and his enthusiasm for the English dramatist’s masterpieces lasted him the rest of his life – his last two opera’s were saved for the great playwright with Otello (1887) and Falstaff (1893). All were […]
Egyptomania, Aida and Trumpets Sometimes creative genius presages scientific discovery. Such, indeed, was the case for one of Verdi’s most remarkable musical inventions in Aida. When Napoleon and his armies invaded Egyptian 1798, preoccupation with all things Egypt escalated into a near obsession throughout Europe and the Americas. By the middle of the 19th Century, […]
The Commissioning of Verdi’s Aida The opening of the Suez Canalin 1869 was an event that astonished the world, both by its engineering audacity and its lavish ceremonies. It was, as Walt Whitman penned, a “Passage to India!” linking Old to New, East to West. The Viceroy of Egypt, Khedive Ismail, had been planning the […]
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (b Votkinsk, Vyatka Province, May 7, 1840; d St. Petersburg,Russia, November 6, 1893) Symphony N. 6 in B-minor op. 74 “Pathetique” 1. Adagio – Allegro non troppo 2. Allegro con grazia 3. Allegro molto vivace 4. Finale (Adagio lamentoso Andante) As the very first notes of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece Symphony No. 6 are played, […]
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (b Votkinsk, Vyatka Province, May 7, 1840; d St. Petersburg, Russia, November 6, 1893) Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 1. Andante – Allegro con anima 2. Andante cantabile (con alcuna licenza) 3. Valse – Allegro moderato 4. Finale – Andante maestoso – Allegro vivace Tchaikovsky’s first three symphonies were steeped […]
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Born, 1840 in Kamko-Votinsk,Russia; Died, 1893 in St.Petersburg) Symphony No. 4 in F-Minor, Op. 36 1. Andante sostenuto – Moderato con anima 2. Andantino en modo di canzona 3. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato – Allegro 4. Finale: Allegro con fuoco When the first notes sound at the start of Tchaikovsky’s fourth […]
Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (b Kamsko-Votkinsk, Vyatka province, 25 April 1840; d St Petersburg, 25 Oct. 1893) Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 23 1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito 2. Andantino semplice – Prestissimo – Tempo I 3. Allegro con fuoco Tchaikovsky’s better known works are creations that […]