“Like any powerful talent, Verdi reflects his nationality and his era. He is the flower of his soil. He is the voice of modern Italy... Italy awakened to consciousness, Italy agitated by political storms; Italy, bold and passionate to the fury. These words were written by the famous Russian composer and music critic A. Serov on the occasion of his arrival in Russia to stage the opera The Power of Destiny. It was over a hundred and twenty years ago.

Serov's characterization is accurate and insightful. Verdi is truly a singer of his era and his country - Italy, which heroically fought against the foreign yoke for freedom and national unity, for turning from a geographical concept, as one of the Austrian ministers ironically called it, into an independent national state.

We know about the national movement in Italy in the 19th century not only from history. It is reflected, for example, in the excellent book by Ethel Lilian Voynich - the novel The Gadfly, which has been read for many generations. Verdi is a contemporary and like-minded person of the young heroes of the novel. But he fought for the freedom of Italy with a special weapon - music.

His path in art was not easy. The son of a village innkeeper could receive only the most basic musical skills in his native village, his first teacher was the organist of the local church. The village boy was lucky: he was noticed by a merchant from the neighboring town Antonio Barezzi, an enlightened, benevolent man who passionately loved music. On his initiative, Giuseppe moved to the city of Busseto, entered a music school there and began studying with the local "musical maestro" F. Provezi. The path in art for Verdi was not easy.

Under the guidance of Provezi, he learned a lot: to play the piano and organ well, to compose music for various instruments and for a brass band that performed on holidays in the city square. On the scale of a small town, the young musician soon gained fame, and the local philharmonic society, which united music lovers, gave the young man a scholarship to study at the Milan Conservatory.

But Verdi was not admitted to the conservatory, the examiners did not like his piano playing, and they did not pay much attention to his compositions. What was to be done? To return to Busseto and, therefore, deceive the expectations of his well-wishers? No never!

And Verdi stayed in Milan, and not only because he managed to find a good teacher from among the professors of the conservatory, but also because the city itself was a kind of conservatory: two opera houses, including the famous La Scala, weekly concerts - everything a young provincial could attend this thanks to his teacher V. Lavigna, who, after a year of classes, wrote to the patron Verdi Barezzi: “Your scholarship will soon be the pride of his fatherland.” Verli dreamed of writing an opera for La Scala

And during the years of study, and in subsequent years of work in Busseto (it was necessary to fulfill a duty in relation to this city), Verdi wrote music in a variety of genres. But most of all he was attracted to the opera. Writing an opera for La Scala was his dream.

And it came true: the first opera was such a significant success that they signed an agreement with Verdi for three more compositions. He could consider himself lucky.

But fate struck a terrible blow on Verdi: one after another, two of his children die, and then his wife, Margherita Barezzi, the daughter of his older friend. And all this for a year and a half! And according to the contract, he had to finish work on a cheerful, comic opera. It is not surprising that it seemed to be the composer's weakest work and was booed by the public.

This new blow struck down Verdi. It seemed that everything was over - both creativity and life itself. Verdi began to avoid people, strove to be alone, even moved to a cheap hotel - away from home, where he was happy. The director of the opera house B. Merelli, who fell in love with Verdi and believed in his talent, managed to get him out of this state, despite the failure with the comic opera. He invited him to read a new libretto written by the talented poet T. Solera. Verdi reluctantly accepted the manuscript. He brought it home, and it accidentally opened up in words that somehow touched the composer's imagination:

“Fly, my thought, to the distant native hills…”

Verdi became interested in reading and by morning he knew the libretto by heart. Thus began work on "Nabucco" - the first of a series of heroic operas that brought him fame as a singer of the Italian National Reunification Risorgimento.

The plots of the operas were very different, taken either from the Bible (“Nabucco”), then from history (“Attila”, “Lombards in the First Crusade”, “Joan of Arc”, “Battle of Legnano”), then from romantic dramas Hugo ("Ernani"), Schiller ("Robbers"). But everywhere the same idea runs through - the idea of ​​fighting against tyranny, against the oppression of the people, and therefore the most distant plots in time were perceived by the public as acutely modern. When in the opera "Attila" the Roman commander said, addressing the leader of the Huns, Attila: "Take the whole world for yourself, leave Italy to me," the electrified audience shouted: "We, we have Italy!"

But the main reason was not in plot analogies, but in music. The best thing about Verdi's early operas is the truly heroic choirs, with their bright melody and masculine marching rhythm. They were easy to remember and some of them became popular patriotic songs. In particular, that chorus from Nabucco, the first line of which excited Verdi when reading the libretto. The choir from the Battle of Legnano also became an anthem: “Long live Italy!” And it was not for nothing that the leader of the Italian revolutionary movement, Giuseppe Mazzini, wrote to Verdi in 1848: “What Garibaldi and I do in politics, what our mutual friend A. Manzoni does in poetry, you do in music. Now, more than ever, Italy needs your music."

With each new composition, Verdi's talent becomes more mature and deep, multifacetedly reflecting reality in all its complexity and contradictions. The focus is on the personality of a person, his inner world. This was especially evident in the operas of the 1850s: "Rigoletto" (based on the drama of Hugo) and "La Traviata" (based on the drama of A. Dumas son). The main characters do not perform any exceptional acts that elevate them above the crowd - they are, on the contrary, humiliated people, standing outside of society.

The court jester Rigoletto is doomed to amuse and amuse for the rest of his life, the attitude of society towards Violetta is reflected in the very title of the opera: “traviata” in Italian means a fallen woman. And Verdi shows how great and pure feelings live in the soul of these despised people, how selflessly Rigoletto loves his daughter Gilda, how Violetta is reborn when she recognizes true love, and how she refuses happiness so that the whole past does not fall as a shadow on the family of a loved one. And when, even before the curtain rises, the heartfelt, pure and sad music of the introduction (only for string instruments) sounds at the performance of La Traviata, a portrait of the soul of the heroine of the opera appears before the listeners ... Opera "Aida" by G. Verdi

The synthesis of the best features of Verdi's work was his opera Aida, written for the opening of the opera house in Cairo. The plot was supposed to reflect some page from the history of Egypt. And again, Verdi surprised by the unexpectedness of the interpretation. The opera, which tells about the victories and conquests of the ancient Egyptian kingdom, turned out to be imbued with sympathy for the people defeated by the Egyptians - the Ethiopians, and the most enchanting colors were given to Aida - the daughter of the Ethiopian king, a captive and a slave. The great master of vocal music, Verdi also discovered here an excellent knowledge of the orchestra: the night scene at the Nile is the most beautiful musical landscape, an image of that “sounding silence”, full of mysterious rustles and whispers, which is characteristic of nature.

By the time Aida was created, Verdi was at the height of his fame, his operas were staged in all theaters from St. Petersburg to Cairo. His statue was placed in the lobby of the opera house - this was demanded by the inhabitants of Milan. Could a village boy from Roncol ever dream of anything like this?

And Verdi himself was not satisfied. Yes, his operas were willingly staged in all theaters, but how much work it cost him to overcome the routine and inertia of theatrical figures! And most importantly, then everything went on as before again.

And what happened to Italy itself, for the unity and independence of which Verdi fought with the weapon of his music? Italy is one. It would seem that all the dreams of his youth came true. And Verdi himself is a senator in parliament. But at the word "politics" he exclaims in horror: "Save us, Lord!" This is not how Italy was portrayed by the revolutionary democrats of the 1840s. Opera "Otello" by G. Verdi

And there were years of silence. And friends could not believe: is Aida really the last masterpiece? After all, the composer, despite his age, is quite healthy and cheerful. And friends organize a real conspiracy. They introduce Verdi to the young playwright and composer Arrigo Boito. And he shows the composer the script he made based on Shakespeare's tragedy Othello. And the sixty-eight-year-old maestro, as in his youth, became interested in work, although at first he assured everyone, and even the librettist, that he was writing not for the theater, but for himself.

And he wrote an opera, not at all like the previous ones, very difficult for singers who are not used to being also dramatic actors. Music reveals not only the situations and the text of the libretto, but also the subtext. The image of Iago is very indicative in this respect. Here in the first act he sings his "Table". And it seems that before us is a merry fellow, a good-natured dissolute fellow, sincerely rejoicing together with the soldiers over Othello's victory. The song is interrupted by exclamations, drunken laughter, the soldiers discordantly pick up the chorus. And unexpectedly prickly, mocking motifs flash in the orchestra, making you wary: this is not good fun! And it is these prickly, harsh intonations that reveal the true essence of Iago - a selfish, slanderer, villain. He destroys the gullible Desdemona, the courageous and ingenuous Othello. Evil triumphs. But before Othello's death, a melody of wondrous beauty arises in the orchestra - a symbol of great, immortal, unsullied love.

One of the colors of the flag of the Italian Republic is green, verde, verdi... An amazing providence chose a man with a 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, so contemporaries called the maestro the voice of their country. His works, reflecting an entire era and becoming the pinnacle of not only Italian, but the entire world opera, centuries later are the most popular and most performed on the stages of the best musical theaters. From the biography of Verdi, you will learn that the composer had a difficult fate, but, overcoming all life's difficulties, he left priceless creations to future generations.

Read a brief biography and many interesting facts about the composer on our page.

Brief biography of Verdi

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, the young talent was noticed by a wealthy merchant, and at the same time a member of the Philharmonic Society of Busetto, Antonio Barezzi, who would 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 voice and piano lessons to Margherita, daughter of Barezzi. In 1836, the girl becomes his wife.

According to Verdi's biography, 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 the 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 has children. 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, engaged in agriculture and horse breeding. The composer actively participated in the 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 survived his Peppina by as much as 13 years ... His funeral grew into a large procession, more than 200,000 people came to see the composer on his last journey.

Interesting facts about Giuseppe Verdi

• 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 “”, 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 performed opera 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 of the opera. 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.

Creativity Giuseppe Verdi

first opera, "Oberto, Count di San Banifacho", was approved for a charity performance at La Scala. Its premiere was a success, and the theater signed a contract with the budding author for three more operas. But the next one, King for a Day, was a devastating fiasco. This work was given to Verdi with incredible difficulty. How to write a comic opera after just burying a child and a wife? All the pain experienced by the composer found its way out in the music for the dramatic biblical story about Nebuchadnezzar. Verdi received the manuscript of the libretto by Temistocle Solera by chance meeting the impresario La Scala on the street. And at first he wanted to refuse, but the plot captured him so much that the music "Nabucco" became a huge event. And the choir from it “Va, pensiero” turned into the unofficial anthem of Italy, which Italians still know by heart.

Repeat the success of "Nabucco" were called upon "Lombards in the First Crusade", which La Scala presented to the public a year later. And a year later, the premiere of an opera written by order of another prestigious and influential theater took place - for the Venetian La Fenice, Verdi created "Ernani", which became the first joint work of the composer and librettist Francesco Maria Piave, a Venetian, with whom they will create seven more works. "Ernani" spoke to the audience in a completely different musical language than his previous compositions. It was a story about personalities and passions, expressed so vividly and authentically that it is rightfully called the first truly "Verdi" opera. The one in which the unique author's style of its creator was formed. This style was consolidated by subsequent works: "Two Foscari" And "Joan of Arc".

The third most important Italian theater of those years was the Neapolitan San Carlo, for which in 1845 Verdi wrote "Alziru" Based on Voltaire's tragedy of the same name. It was a work in collaboration with the famous librettist Salvatore Cammarano. However, the opera was given to him hard and without inspiration, he was sick a lot. This is probably why her stage life was short. Much later, the maestro recognizes it as perhaps his most unsuccessful creation. The best reception awaited the premiere in Venice "Attila" in 1846, although its creation also did not bring creative satisfaction to the composer. “The years of my imprisonment” - this is how he himself will characterize the period of 43-46 years, when he wrote 5 operas.

From the biography of Verdi, we learn that after a short recovery, the composer takes on two operas at once: "Macbeth" for Florence and "Robbers" for London's Covent Garden. And, if he works enthusiastically on the first, then the second becomes another burden. Next appear "Corsair" And "Battle of Legnano", completing a series of bravura-heroic works of the maestro. "Louise Miller", staged in 1849, became a continuation of the Ernani theme, in which human destinies and feelings come to the fore. The formation of Verdi's true style was consolidated by his next work, "Stiffelio", and to this day little known, completely, however, undeservedly. In parallel with it, the composer begins to compose his first undoubted masterpiece, "".

Since its premiere in Venice in 1851, it has never ceased to be staged in theaters around the world. Verdi took up the plot of Victor Hugo's play The King Amuses himself, which was removed from the Parisian scenes by local censors for the immorality of the plot. The opera almost suffered the same fate, but Piave edited the plot, and the performance went out to the audience, becoming almost a revolution in opera art: the orchestra no longer played as one accompanying instrument, its sound became expressive and complex. "Rigoletto" tells a whole dramatic story, almost without tearing the outline of the story into separate arias. The opera opens the so-called "romantic trilogy", continued by Il trovatore and La Traviata.

"Troubadour", staged in Rome in 1853, became one of the most popular operas during Verdi's lifetime. It is a real treasure trove of amazing melodies. Il trovatore is also interesting because one of the main parts was written for mezzo-soprano - a voice that usually got secondary roles. Subsequently, the composer will create a whole gallery of magnificent heroines for a low female voice: Ulrika, Eboli, Amneris. In the meantime, the maestro's imagination has already captured the plot of the recently released play by Alexandre Dumas son, The Lady of the Camellias, a tragic story of love and self-sacrifice. Verdi worked furiously on this opera and the music was completely written in 40 days. "La Traviata"- this is the worship of a woman, perhaps this is Verdi's creative dedication to his companion Giuseppina Strepponi. It's hard to imagine, but this absolute masterpiece was a resounding failure at the premiere in La Fenice. The audience was outraged that the heroine of the opera was a fallen woman, moreover, not from distant eras, but their contemporary. However, Verdi perceives this fiasco more calmly than before - he is confident in his music, its genius fully protects its creator. And the maestro turns out to be right again: only a year will pass and, having undergone a small revision, La Traviata will triumphantly return to the Venetian stage.

The next order comes from Paris, and in 1855 the stage of the Grand Opera is staged "Sicilian Vespers" based on the libretto by the famous French playwright Eugene Scribe. This opera is also significant because the composer again speaks about freedom from enslavers, in fact, about the freedom of his Italy, in which revolutionary moods are ripening. The following years are spent on creating "Simona Boccanegra", which awaits a difficult fate. One of the maestro's most ambitious plans, one of his darkest operas, one of his most significant, did not win success with the public after the Venetian production of 1857. The reason for this was probably a bleak, dark plot with a focus on the political line, depressive characters. Critics blamed the composer for heavy music, bold handling of harmony and rough vocal style. More than twenty years will pass, and Verdi will return to Boccanegra, completely reworking it. This new version with a libretto by Arrigo Boito is still in theaters today.

Verdi turns to the plot of Scribe next time. The choice fell on "Masquerade Ball"- the story of the death of the Swedish king Gustav III. The censorship rejected the libretto, since it was unthinkable to show on stage the murder of a royal person by a deceived husband, and what happened so recently (the real event happened in 1792). As a result, the libretto had to be changed - the action was transferred to America, and the governor of Boston, Richard, fell victim to the jealous. The success after the production in Rome was overwhelming, the opera quickly sold out into "hits", which were sung even by passers-by on the street. In 1861, Verdi finally agrees to another offer from the Imperial Theater of St. Petersburg and at the end of the same year arrives in the Russian capital to stage "Forces of Destiny", the premiere of which, for a number of reasons, was delayed until November 10, 1862. The opera was a success, however, to a greater extent because of the name of the composer than because of his own merits. Nevertheless, despite the convoluted plot and somewhat old-fashioned epic narrative, The Force of Destiny established itself as an undoubted success during Verdi's lifetime.

Several years pass, which the composer spends in Sant'Agata for routine rural affairs and the alteration of Macbeth. Only in 1866 did Verdi take on a new work, which would become the longest and most ambitious. The primary source is again a play by Schiller, this time - "Don Carlos". The libretto is created in French, as its customer is the Parisian Grand Opera. Verdi works for a long time and with enthusiasm, but the premiere is met with coolness from the public and criticism. Paris did not appreciate the unusual musical style of Don Carlos; the triumphal procession of the opera on world stages began with the London production of the same year, 1867.

In November 1870, the maestro completed the opera commissioned by the Egyptian government. "Aida" comes out in Cairo and just a few months later - in La Scala. The Italian premiere was an unqualified victory for the composer, and he considers it a fitting end to his operatic career. In 1873, the writer Alessandro Manzoni, whom Verdi admired, dies. In memory of him, as well as of Rossini, to whose death a few years earlier the composer created part of the funeral mass, Verdi writes a Requiem, dedicating it to two great contemporaries.

After Aida, it was not easy to lure Verdi back to the theatre. Only a Shakespearean story could do that "Othello". Since 1879, the maestro has been working on an opera based on a libretto by Arrigo Boito, creating one of the most complex tenor parts of the 19th century. In Othello, Verdi's mastery finds its completeness; his music has never been so inseparably linked to the dramatic foundation. Six years later, the eighty-year-old composer decides to arrange a real farewell to the stage by composing a comic opera - the second in his biography, which was separated from the first by almost half a century. The plot, again Shakespearean, was proposed by Boito. Verdi, who over the years has gained a reputation as an unsurpassed dramatic master, is also asserting himself as a master of comedy towards the end of his career. The culmination of the composer's work was the opera "Falstaff" brimming with a joie de vivre found only in truly the greatest works of art.

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 dwell on several interesting adaptations of Verdi's operas:

• Sophia Loren played Aida in the 1953 film of the same name, 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.

On the contrary, there are not so many films based on the biography of Verdi. 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 picture gives a broad look at the personality of Verdi and the 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.

Fashion changes, decades pass, and music Verdi not only does not lose popularity, but also finds new listeners. What is her secret? That it is timeless and speaks the language of human feelings, understandable to all who hear, regardless of nation, religion or culture. She loves and doubts, sympathizes and comforts, laughs and rejoices with us. Perhaps it was thanks to such a difficult fate that the composer gave many generations the incredible happiness of getting to know his immortal talent.

Video: watch a film about Verdi

October 13, 2013

Book exhibition dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi

On October 7, 2013, a book exhibition dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), an outstanding Italian composer and conductor, opened in the department of arts of the Donetsk Regional Universal Scientific Library named after N. K. Krupskaya.

Among the musical geniuses of the world, an outstanding place belongs to the great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi - the creator of many operatic works, and now they excite us with their heroic orientation, emotionality, passionate melodies.

The exhibition presents bright and unique DVD - discs with video recordings of opera masterpieces "Ernani", "Nabucco", "Aida", "Othello", "Il trovatore", "La Traviata", "Rigoletto" and "Falstaff" in modern productions on the stages of theaters La Scala, Metropolitan Opera and the Vienna Opera performed by the opera stars of our time. All discs can be viewed on the computer in the department.

The only monograph about Giuseppe Verdi in Russian, written by L. Solovtsov "Giuseppe Verdi" (M., 1986), introduces readers to the creative page of the master's life. The composer put all the fire of his heart, the power of the mind, the majestic thirst for freedom into each of his creations. No wonder contemporaries called Verdi "the maestro of the Italian revolution", "the maestro of the struggle."

The book from the project "Composers in the Square" "Verdi in the Square" (M., 2008) offers aphorisms about the life and work of Giuseppe Verdi from prominent people of different times.

Many composers chose masterpieces of world literature as plots for operas. The works of the great English playwright William Shakespeare turned out to be a school of realistic truth. In the works of Shakespeare, Verdi was captivated by a deep knowledge of life and people. The composer preferred all modern and ancient authors to Shakespeare. The composer's embodiment of Shakespeare's stories, full of bright ideas and teaching images, is mentioned in G. Ordzhonikidze's book "Verdi's operas based on Shakespeare's stories" (Moscow, 1967).

Italian opera 1840-1890 was obliged to Verdi flourishing and world recognition. A detailed analysis of the composer's best operas intertwined with the artist's biography is presented in D. Tarozzi's book "Verdi" (M., 1984) from the famous series "The Life of Remarkable People".

Rigoletto (Moscow, 1990), an edition of the Opera Libretto series, considers the opera as the composer's first mature work, in which he moved away from heroic themes and turned to conflicts generated by social inequality. The protagonist of the opera - Rigoletto is considered one of the most striking images created by Verdi.

This year marks exactly 160 years since the first performance of La Traviata in Venice. This is the first opera in the history of musical theater based on a psychological drama with a plot taken from modern life. The history of creation and the text of the libretto of the opera are contained in publications from the series "Opera librettos" "La Traviata" (Moscow, 1978).

The book by L. Polyakova “Troubadour” by G. Verdi: Guide to Opera” (Moscow, 1980) introduces readers to one of the works of the outstanding Italian musical playwright.

The last opera of the outstanding master, which put an end to his work, is Falstaff. The eminent German composer Richard Strauss once said that this work was destined to become one of the greatest masterpieces of all time. This opinion is shared by T. Plokhotina, the author of the article “The Birth of a Masterpiece: Verdi’s Falstaff in Letters and Critical Reviews of Contemporaries” (“Musical Life”, 2011, No. 4, pp. 28-31).

The exhibition also features music collections of the composer's outstanding works. The exhibition will run until October 21st.

According to the Donetsk Regional Universal Scientific Library named after N. K. Krupskaya.

So-in-re-men-ni-ki pro-called Ver-di "ma-e-st-ro of Italian-Jan-sky re-vo-lu-tion." Ju-zep-pe Mad-zi-ni wrote to him: “The fact that I and Ga-ri-bal-di de-la-em in po-ti-ke, and our mutual friend Ales- san-d-ro Man-d-zo-ni de-la-et in poetry, then you de-la-e-te in music and we all, as best we can, serve we press on-ro-du. And Ros-si-ni, and Ver-di always co-chi-nya-whether mu-zy-ku, ak-tu-al-nuyu and with-sound-ch-ny to his time-me-ni . Their pro-from-ve-de-niya would be full of us in-li-ti-che-with-kih al-lu-ziy, but the censor-ra-ra couldn’t-la-la de-lat, but pub-li-ka is not-is-tov-st-in-va-la from vo-tor-ha. When using the Ver-di “At-ti-la” opera, see-te-whether it’s especially-bo from-me-ti-whether such an episode: half a number -dets Ae-tsy go-vo-rit know-me-no-thing-mu gun-nu: “Let you-be-de-p-on-d-le-reap All-len-naya - Italy-liya os-ta-no-xia to me! and pub-li-ka with vo-o-du-she-in-le-ni-em cry-cha-la - “Ita-lia - to us!” The opera "Scrap-bard-tsy in the first kre-sto-vo-ho-de" became a za-met-yav-le-ni-em in the cultural and ti-che-with-coy life of the country. Especially ben-but if you take into account that it was the apo-gay Ri-sor-d-zhi-men-that.

Ver-di is not cha-go-tel to op-re-de-len-ny hu-do-s-st-ven-nym on-right-in-le-ni-pits (re-a-liz-mu or ro-man-tiz-mu), he didn’t connect himself with their es-te-ti-coy, he wrote about something in that style, we s-lil in this pe-ri-od. Life in all of the many-o-o-ra-zii of con-t-ra-stov and con-fl-to-tov - so-to-be-lo creative-che-with-some cre-to auto-to- ra. Ying-tu-i-tiv-no Ver-di cha-go-tel to the soul-harmony, living in the way of the complex shake-se-ny. He ut-ver-waited that he likes everything in art-kus-st-ve that is Pre-beautiful. He only said that “the boring theater is the worst of the possible” and strove to whether-b-ret-then his operas would be-whether on-sy-shche-ny ost-ry-mi dra-ma-ti-che-s-ki-mi si-tu-a-qi-i-mi, in someone-ryh would be in-te-re-s-but and in-teaching-tel-but dis-roofs-wa-lis-lo-ve-che-s-ha-ra-to-te-ry . Is-to-riya pro-de-mon-st-ri-ro-va-la his special in-te-res to re-a-liz-mu. At the same time, ver-di didn’t give a damn about bro-sky af-fe-k-t, an-ti-thez, manifestation-of-le-niya bur-no-go te-pe-ra-men- that. Compare him-no-va-whether with Go-mer and Shek-spear, then with Dan-te, Ser-van-te-som or with Mi-kel-an-d-zhe-lo ...

Ver-di (1813-1901) os-ta-vil 26 operas, including “Na-buk-ko” and “Battle at Len-ya-no”, “Er- na-ni ”and“ Mac-beth ”,“ Lou-and-for Miller ”(opera-ry of the 40s),“ Re-go-let-to ”,“ Tra-vi-a- ta” and “Tru-ba-dur”, “Si-qi-liy-sky ve-black-nya”, “Si-mon Bok-ka-ne-gra” and “Bal-ma-s-ka-rad” (50s), “Si-la fate” and “Don Car-los” (60s), “Ai-da” (70s), “Hotel-lo "(80s)," Fal-staff "(90s).

Named pro-of-ve-de-niya yav-la-ut-sya sign-chi-tel-us-mi ve-ha-mi not only in the creation-che-st-ve Ver-di , but also in terms of the evolution of the opera genre and the entire history of music of the 19th century.

Among the many-chi-s-len-nyh dra-ma-tour-gov and pi-sa-te-lei, with someone-ry-mi Ver-di came-ho-di-moose co- t-rud-no-chat or to someone’s creative-th-st-vu he would-yang-but would-shall-whether Shakespeare, Schiller and Gyu-go, and so is his one-hundred-yan-nye-b-ret-ti-sta Fr. Pia-ve and Ar-ri-go Fight something. They knew his requirements and passions. If, however, ras-sma-t-ri-vat the mu-zy-kal-ny hundred-ro-well of Ver-di operas, then his style ha-ra-to-te-ri-zu-et-sya me- lo-di-i-mi shi-ro-ko-go dy-ha-niya in the spirit of belkan something, you-ra-zi-tel-no-stu me-lo-di-ki, psycho-ho- lo-gi-che-s-ki right-di-you-mi si-tu-a-qi-i-mi, grand-di-oz-ny-mi ho-ro-you-mi car-ti-na- mi, in its own way, in the drama, on-by-mi-nav-shi-mi functions of an-ti-ch-no-ho-ra.

Ver-di came to the musical life of Europe as an amateur. He started his de-I-tel-ness with a modest scholar-no-one of the so-bor-no-go or-ga-ni-hundred. He was born from a non-bo-ha-that family of vi-no-tor-gov-tsa in se-le Ron-ko-li, near the town of Bus-se-to under Par -mine (25 km.), which is in the se-ve-re of Italy.

From a young age, Ver-di served as an account-in-the-house in the ku-pe-che-with-company of An-to-nio Barets-tsi. In the house of Ba-rets-qi, the mu-zy-kan-you-lu-bi-te-li were co-bi-ra-li, and Ver-di helped them ra-zu-chi-wat steam -ty, pe-re-pi-sy-val but-you, teaching-st-in-shaft in re-pe-ti-qi-yah. With os-no-va-mi mu-zy-kal-noy gra-mo-you know-ko-nice young-shu and so-bor-ny organ-ga-nist Fer-di-nan-do Pro-ve- zi, pre-rek-shiy Ver-di gleaming future-du-sche on the field of mu-zy-ki. Name-but then-g-yes, he began to co-chi-nyat, but also as an amateur. So that Ver-di would-be-chil pro-fess-si-o-nal-noe about-ra-zo-va-nie and could develop his talents, not-about-ho-di -could send him to mi-lan con-ser-va-to-riya. Money-gi so-bi-ra-li to everyone of the year. So Ver-di received a modest stipend from ze-m-la-kov and a grant from Bar-rets-tsi. But in pri-e-me to him from-ka-for-whether - there was no pre-va-ri-tel-no-go pro-fes-si-o-nal-no-go ob-ra-zo- va-nia and Ver-di began to search for re-pe-ti-to-ditch. Vin-chen-tso La-vi-nya (com-po-zi-tor with te-a-t-re La Ska-la) took half-thread of pro-be-ly in ob-ra-zo -va-nii of the young-shi, and besides, he poured him the devil-for-pay-but in-se-to-spe-to-ta-to-whether. It would be the best school, just like in Phil-lar-mo-nii. He soon taught her re-per-tu-ar on-and-to-mouth and out-of-the-way, but Ver-di had to-me-thread di-ri-zhe-ra on re-pe- ti-tion (and then at the concert) ora-to-rii “Co-creation of the world” by Yo-ze-fa Hayd-na. Wasps-pan-ny on-mix-ka-mi pro-vin-tsi-al to the end of re-pe-ti-tsi sni-rocks ra-soul-ny ap-lo-dis-men-you and you- with the neck of the community Mi-la-na in-on-to-mi-moose with a new name - Ju-zep-pe Ver-di. Ru-ko-vo-di-tel Fi-lar-mo-no-che-with-to-go society P. Ma-zi-ni for-ka-hall Ver-di opera-ru - "Oberto, Count Bo-ni-fach-cho." Upon returning to my Ver-di before-a-hundred-I-lo from-ra-bo-tat scholarship. He got me-s-to di-ri-zhe-ra in the city com-mu-ne, began to ru-ko-vo-dit or-ke-st-rom Fi-lar-mo -nii, same-nil-sya on my-be-my de-vush-ke - do-che-ri Ba-rets-tsi - Mar-ga-ri-te and became the father of Vir-d-zhi-nii and Ichi-lio. Ver-di co-chi-nyal choirs and pe-s-ni, marches and dances, but a lot of strength for-ni-ma-la ra-bo-ta over the opera. Pe-re-having with seven in Mi-lan, Ver-di by 1839 began to go-to-twist in a hundred-new-ku under the support of Ma-zi-ni. Pre-mier-ra co-sto-I-las 17 but-I-b-rya and had-la us-peh - the opera-ru began to be put in Mi-la-ne and Tu-ri-ne, Gen-nue and Ne-apo-le. But in the family of Ver-di tsa-ri-la, not only joy and in-o-du-she-in-le-tion according to the way for-ka-za on ko-me- diyu “King-role for an hour” (“I-my-my Sta-ni-s-love”), but also go-re - one after the other Ver-di lost the same well, daughter and son. In such a si-tu-a-tion, he had to co-chi-nyat ko-mi-che-with opera-ru, the lot of someone swarm became a failure. Oper-ru os-vi-sta-li, and com-po-zi-to-ra slo-mi-la de-p-res-siya.

He wandered around Mi-la-nu, couldn’t co-chi-take and work, but in te-a-t-re he’s hard-but don’t lie-chi-whether b-ret-to for the new opera Na-vu-ho-do-no-sor to Na-buk-ko). Ma-lo-po-ma-lu the plot captivated the young com-po-zi-to-ra and he, not wanting that himself, was drawn into ra-bo-tu . In the autumn of 1841, par-ti-tu-ra would-la for-con-che-na, and pre-mier-ra was-sto-I-las the next year March 9 the one with the participation of the best singers of La Scala.

film-opera "Nabucco" staged in 2007 by the Arena da Verona-http://youtu.be/Xz6GBsJltxE

or German production with Russian. subtitled 2001http://youtu.be/KjFFzL16rlk

Pub-li-ka ru-ko-ple-ska-la standing - bur-but, vo-tor-women-but, word-but not like-no-la pro-va-la in the past. For 9 months, opera-ru is-on-l-ni-li 65 times and this rezul-tat would be out-of-sen in the book of re-kor-dov Gin-ne-sa, es- would she be-g-yes-la. At-chi-noy us-pe-ha was not so much a biblical plot, but the talent of li-b-ret-ti-hundred A. So-le-ry and skillful pro- reading whether-b-ret-something-on-zi-to-rum in pa-t-ri-o-ti-che-with-com du-he time-me-no. Ver-di osov-re-me-nil biblical events in the same spirit as it is de-la-li zhi-vo-scribes of the Florentine school ly 15 century. Since 1843, Italy has a dream-ta-la to have its own na-qi-o-nal anthem, a choir of prisoners from "Na-buk-ko"

chorus of slaves from "Nabucco" - excerpt from the operahttp://youtu.be/2F4G5H_TTvU or a concert performance from the Lund Choir Festival -http://youtu.be/kwyp0-PtRzc

And the dream-ta-et about that until now, until-wol-st-woo-is-ka "Mam-el-oh" Ju-zep-pe Ga-ri-bal-di.

Ver-di became a member of the circle of pa-t-ri-o-tov - family Maf-fei. With Cla-ri-noy, he re-re-pi-sy-val-sya until her death, and with her husband, re-re-vo-dchi-com An-d-rea other- lived and on his verse-chi co-chi-nil two ro-man-sa. Vpo-s-ice-st-vie A. Maf-fei na-pi-sal for Ver-di li-b-ret-that according to Shil-le-ra's “Raz-boy-no-kam”.

Fourth of his opera “Scrap-bard-tsy in the first krest-to-vo-ho-de” Ver-di co-chi-nyal on li-b-ret-to ry in e-me Tom-ma-zo Gras-si "G-zel-da". In os-no-woo, po-e-we would-la-lo-same-on ob-ra-bot-ka one of the de-loving “Os-in-bo-zh-den- no-go Ie-ru-sa-li-ma "Tor-qua-to Tas-so. In-do-but-mu, as under the captivity-us-mi iu-de-ya-mi in Wa-vi-lo-ne from "Na-buk-ko" no-ma-lis co-in- re-men-ny Italian-yan-tsy, and in the "Lom-bard-tsakh" under the cru-sto-nose-tsa-mi were in the form of car-bo-na-rii. This is an ob-slo-vi-lo grand-di-oz-ny us-peh opera all over the country, although the av-st-riy-sky price-zu-ra and chi-ni-la at the -sta-now-kah no-ma-lo no-pri-yat-no-stey So-le-re and Ver-di. Pre-mier-ra co-sto-I-lased on February 11, 1843, 1843, yes, and over-ver-shi-las in-li-ti-che-with-coy de-mon-st -ra-qi-ey, on someone-ruyu mi-lan-tsev in-o-du-she-vi-li for-zhi-ga-tel-nye arias of the per-with-on-zhey opera-ry, and especially-ben-but for-key-chi-tel-ny choir of kre-hundred-nos-tsev - a call to fight for freedom. Tri-umf in a hundred-no-wok "Scrap-bard-tsev" to-ka-til-sya, even to Russia. The name of Ver-di for-sounds-cha-lo throughout Italy, for-ka-zy he received all the leading te-a-t-ry - to choose from.

Close-zhay-shim co-t-rud-no-comm Ver-di from-we-do not become-but-ve-ve-not-qi-an-sky whether-b-ret-tist Fran-che-s -ko Pya-ve. He told someone-in-zi-to-ru the idea to write an opera on the plot of the drama "Er-na-ni", which had success in Pa-ri- same in 1830. Ro-man-ti-che-s-kay vz-l-no-vanity and free-bo-to-any-bee Vi-to-ra Gyu-go not os-ta-vi-li Ver- di equal-but-soul-nym, and for several months, he co-chi-nil in one breath-ha-nii his “Er-na-ni” (March 9, 1844 -yes for ve-not-qi-an-sko-go “La Fe-ni-che”). Bla-go-rod-ny look of the go-no-mo-go hero na-po-mi-nal about from-g-nan-nyh from the country pa-t-ri-o-tah, and in ho-re for-go-vor-shi-kov heard a call to co-pro-ti-in-le-nii, pro-sla-in-le-do-le-sti and from -wa-gi. Don’t-ude-vi-tel-but that this opera also became-la with-chi-noy in-li-ti-che-with-you-stu-p-le-ny Italian-yan-tsev about -tiv av-st-riy-sko-go pro-te-to-to-ra-ta.

opera recording 2010 -http://youtu.be/gcInGVq_ERw

In those years, Ver-di developed a stormy creative-che-with-kuyu de-I-tel-ness: pre-mier-ra followed-to-va-la for pre-mier swarm. In the Roman te-a-t-re “Ar-d-zhen-ti-na” co-sto-I-la-sta-new-ka of his six-s-that opera - “Two Fo- s-ka-ri ”(November 3, 1844) based on the tradition of Bai-ro-na. For-the-s-le-do-va-la "Jo-van-na D * Ar-co" according to "Or-le-an-skay de-ve" Shil-le-ra with li-b-ret - something So-le-ry (Mi-lan, February 15-ra-la, 1845) with participation in the main ro-li Er-mi-nii Fred-zo-li-ni. Not-apol on-sla-w-gave the opera “Al-zi-ra” based on the tragedy Vol-te-ra (the success of her eye-hall briefly -nym). Don't-expect-given-but Ver-di ob-ra-til-sya to the tra-ge-dia ma-lo-from-ve-st-no-go not-mets-ko-go dra-ma-tur-ha Tsa-ha-ri-a-sa Ver-ne-ra "At-ti-la - the role of the gun-novs" and pre-mier-ra of the 9th opera Ver-di "At-ti-la" co-sto-I-lassed in “La Fe-ni-che” with a storm of vo-tor-gov and pa-t-ri-o-ti-che-with-kim rise-e-mom sa-mih is -po-l-ni-te-lei (March 17, 1846).

recording of the opera "Attila" conducted by Riccardo Muti -http://youtu.be/16rITL6x3Kg

But the 34-year-old-not-go-Ver-di would have-la-la-vet-naya dream-ta - use-use-ho-at least one plot Shek-spi-ra, someone-ro th he god-created, for co-chi-non-niya opera. The case of pre-sta-vil-sya - the 10th opera-swarm became "Mac-beth" and its pre-mier-ra was in the city-ro-de, someone Ver -di loved very much - in Florence (March 14, 1847). In-l-on us-pe-ha to-ka-ti-losed to Ve-ne-tion and don’t-expect-given-but see-there-there is a powerful ho-rum under-hwa-ti-li slo -va one-but-go from per-so-na-zhey: “Ro-di-well, pre-da-li ...”

In the summer of 1847, in Lon-do-not-so-sto-I-was pre-mier-ra “Raz-boy-n-kov” along Shil-le-ru and Ver-di for the first time you rode abroad. He lived in Lon-do-ne and Pa-ri-zhe, which-yes-stu-drank 1848 - Ev-ro-pu vsko-lyh-well-whether from-anywhere not bar-hut-nye -in-lu-tion, and Italy - pa-lerm-skoe revolt on Si-qi-lii. “Kor-Sar” along Bai-ro-nu passed almost not-behind-me-chen-nym, in contrast to “Battle-you at Len-ya-no” and “Si-mo - on Bok-ka-neg-ry.

1978 recording from the National Theater of France - "Simon Boccanegra"

The battle at Laziness-I-but resurrect-sha-la in the pa-my-ti-co-being-yes-le-ko-past-italia: raz-thunder scrap-bard- tsa-mi of the German army Fri-d-ri-ha Bar-ba-ros-sy in 1176. Ri-m-la-not, pro-voz-g-la-siv-shie in February 1849 -ru “Battle-you at Laziness-I-but” with na-qi-o-nal-us-mi flags. And Ver-di was already go-to-vil for Ne-apo-la “Co-var-st-vo and love” according to Shil-le-ru, later calling the opera “Lu-i- for Miller. Li-b-ret-it would-lo-on-right-in-le-but against the co-words-but-not-ra-ven-st-va and de-s-po-tiz-ma. Opera-ra-lu-chi-las not hero-and-che-with-coy, but li-ri-ko-be-that-howl, and per-so-na-m-would-whether not heroes, but simple people.

In the meantime, we Ver-di second-ri-h-but the same-nil-sya and ku-drank under Bus-se-the estate "Sant-Aga-ta", re-driving there in na-cha-le 1850. At the same time, he continued to drive around Ev-ro-pe, but until the end of his life he lived in the estate, except for winter-we, ko-g-da Kur-si -ro-val between Ge-nu-she and Mi-la-nom. He co-chi-nil "Stif-fe-lio", but se-re-di-for a hundred-anniversary was-la from-me-che-na in his work-che-st-ve three-a- doi the most brilliant operas - “Ri-go-let-to”, “Tru-ba-dur” (Tro-va-to-re) and “Tra-vi-a-ta”. He co-z-gave them one after another for a pro-s-s-s-lu-th-ra years.

Li-te-ra-tour-nym is-to-h-no-one for "Ri-go-let-to" serves as a drama. Gyu-go "Ko-role for-ba-in-la-et-sya", pre-hundred-in-len-naya in Pa-ri-same in no-I-b-re 1832 and right there removed from re-per-to-a-ra according to the race-of-the-same-nium of the right-vi-tel-st-va for os-korb-le-nie Franc-ci-ska Per-vo-go - one of the ve-st-races of the co-ro-lei of France in the 16th century. Ver-di did not-much-me-nil si-tu-a-tion and dei-st-vu-y-face in li-b-ret, it was not the king-role, but Ger- tsog, whose song "The heart of the beauty-sa-vi-tsy is prone to change" went around the whole world. Oper-ru Ver-di co-chi-nil in 40 days for-ka-zu "La Fe-ni-che" (March 11, 1851). The final song-sen-ku public-li-ka for-by-m-ni-la right away, she pro-from-ve-la fu-ror.

Dresden production of "Rigoletto" 2008 with a story by Belza and Rus. subtitled -

In Ri-me, to "Ri-go-let-that" became-la-di-army-sya cen-zu-ra, and besides that, did-b-ret-tist die “Tru-ba-doo-ra” - Kam-ma-ra-no, and go-rya-cho love-be-may mother com-po-zi-to-ra. Two years passed, before Tru-ba-dur saw the light of the ramp-pa. December 14, 1852 Ver-di na-pi-sal to Rome: “Completely finished: everything is but you are at the me-s-those and I’m up-to-len , would like to, so that ri-m-la-wouldn’t be free!” Pre-mier-ra would-la-na-zna-che-na on January 19, 1853, but in the morning the Tiber raz-bu-she-val-sya and came out of the be-re -gov, ed-va not co-r-vav the first sp-k-takl.

recording of an opera featuring Pavarotti -http://youtu.be/dMJGM5cHIxE

And in March, we-ne-qi-an-tsy already became-vi-li uni-kal-nuyu psycho-ho-lo-gi-che-s-opera from the life of co-in-re -men-ni-kov - “Tra-vi-a-tu”.For that time, it would be new, and those-a-t-ra-ly didn’t receive opera-ru - it was expected to fail, and yes, mi -ro-vaya from-ve-st-ness Ver-di is not a spa-with-la spe-k-takl. A year later, an opera-ru in-sta-vil another ve-not-qi-an-sky te-atr - “San Be-not-det-to” and then-g-yes pub-li- ka her "ras-pro-bo-wa-la." The book-zh-ny market was already on-water-nen co-from-vet-st-woo-yu-schey hu-do-st-ven-noy-te-ra-tu-roy, vku -sy so-mature, the plot in a way and evaluate it.

recording of the opera with Russian subtitles performed by Anna Netrebko from the Salburg Festival in 2005 -http://youtu.be/M57PfVGRR78

Ver-di himself asked, which of his operas he liked more than anything, answered that as a pro-professional, he became -vit above everything “Ri-go-let-that”, but as a lu-bi-tel before-po-chi-ta-et “Tra-vi-a-tu”.

In the 1850s and 1860s, Verdi operas were performed on all European stages. For Peter-burg-g, he co-chi-nya-et “Si-lu fate”, for Pa-ri-zh - “Si-qi-li-sky evening-black-nu” (after I will give pa-lerm-s-th-recovery, but with love tre-u-go-l-no-one), for Not-apo-la “Bal-ma-s-ka-rad ".

audio recording of "Forces of Destiny" 1957 -http://youtu.be/RoB86Ug0XkI

"Don Car-los" was also accepted by the re-tor-women-but - he was co-chi-nen in sub-lin-no roman-ti-che-with-com du-he, with te-my sa-mo-po-zher-t-in-va-nia, ras-su-zh-de-ni-i-mi about that there is friendship and ka-ko-va its value.

recording of the opera from 1992 from La Scala (Milan) with the participation of Luciano Pavarotti

Pre-lo-same-nie on-pi-sat opera-ru from egy-pet-s-th-great-vi-tel-st-va udi-vi-lo Ver-di. But Ev-ro-pa was already going to the opening of Su-etz-ko-go ka-na-la, and us-pe-hi egy-p-to-lo-gov from France and An-g-lii would be oshe-lo-mi-tel-ny-mi. Ver-di was da-lek from ar-he-o-logia, although one of your-f-her-shih on-great-in-le-ni in the Italian-Jan-li-te -ra-tu-re was ar-he-o-lo-gi-che-s-cue (is-to-ri-che-s-cue) ro-man. After a few months, Ver-di pro-people staged a pre-la-ga-e-my opera - it would be “Ai-da” on syu -zhet from the ancient life of this country. The author of the li-b-ret-it was pro-sla-in-len-ny egy-p-to-log Auguste Ma-ri-ette.

Triumphal march from "Aida" from the Choir Festival 2010 in Lund -http://youtu.be/ns_xsduwI-E

Don’t-wait-given-but Ver-di for-hwa-ti-lo in-ve-st-in-va-nie and he took for-order, ho-tya in a hundred-new-ku from-lo -zhi-whether because of the Franco-Prussian war-na-cha-la of the 1870s. But in the spring of 1872, “Ai-yes” began to become-la-sta-twist in all of Europe, and even those mu-zy-can-you, someone from but-si-lied to Ver-di with pre-du-be-g-de-ni-em, recognized-whether not-with-m-n-no-noe to-with-that-in-st-in it like dra-ma-tur-ga and com-po-zi-to-ra. Amer-ri-ka and Russia became-wee-li "Ai-du", and Tchaikovsky called Ver-di ge-ni-em.

recording of an opera from San Francisco with the participation of L. Pavarotti -http://youtu.be/b8rsOzPzYr8

In May 1873, Ver-di learned about the death of pi-sa-te-la-pa-t-ri-o-ta 88-year-old Ales-san-d-ro Man-d -zo-ni and as a sign of respect in the years-schi-not, he co-chi-nil his famous “Re-to-we-em”, pro-sound for the first time on May 22, 1874, in the mi-lan-sky so-bo-re of St. Mark. The harmony of the form, is it-fo-no-che-with-some ma-s-ter-st-in, you-ra-zi-tel-ness me-lo-di-ki and freshness gar-mo-nii and or-ke-st-dov-ki in-hundred-vi-whether it is about-from-ve-de-nie ma-e-st-ro in a row of the most significant-chi-tel- nyh pro-from-ve-de-ny in the region of spiritual music.

Co-z-da-nie edi-no-go ital-yan-sko-go-su-dar-st-va not op-rav-yes-lo on-hope pa-t-ri-o-tov. Ver-di was also ra-z-o-cha-ro-van. Also his corner-not-ta-lo blind pre-clo-non-nie before Vag-ne-rum - ev-ro-pei-skim ku-mi-rum 2nd in-lo-vin-na 19th century. Ver-di appreciated his creative work, believing at the same time that vag-non-rism is not the Italian-Yan-sky way. Ogor-cha-lo com-po-zi-to-ra and pre-not-b-re-same-nie on-qi-o-nal-noy class-si-koy. At the age of 75, Ver-di na-chi-na-et co-chi-nyat a new opera based on the plot of the play Shek-spi-ra “Hotel-lo”. With sha-sa-u-psi-ho-lo-gi-che-with-to-with-the-faithfulness, he re-gave love and passion for in-t- ri-gan-s-t-vu, those-mu ver-no-sti and co-var-st-va spod-vi-zh-no-kov. In "Hotel-lo" there was-lo-one-not-but everything that I could create new-in-go in Verdi's music for my entire life. The m-zy-kal-ny world was shaken. But "Hotel-lo" did not become a le-be-di-noy pe-with-her Ver-di - when-yes he was already 80 years old, he co-chi-nil his masterpiece - ko- mi-che-with-kuyu opera “Fal-staf” based on “Wind-zor-sky pro-kaz-ni-tsam” Shek-spi-ra. This pro-from-ve-de-nie immediately would-lo-know-but nai-you-with-shim to-with-the-same-no-em world-ro-in-go opera-but- go te-a-t-ra. And the com-po-zi-tor for a long time died away, in a way that his name already smelled of the epoch of mu-miy. He wished to see the dawn of the new 20th century and after the pa-ra-li-cha died in the Mi-lan hotel on Jan 27 -va-rya in 1901, on the 88th year of life. Italy ob-i-vi-la on-qi-o-nal-ny tra-ur. But Ver-di could already call his-him before-with-that-pre-em-no-one Ja-ko-mo Puch-chi-ni, whose talent der-hall argue with wag- not-ritch-skim ...

THE EVOLUTION OF VERDI'S CREATIVITY FROM ROMANTICISM TO REALISM IN THE FORTY YEARS . Verdi's operas of the 40s are usually referred to as mature works and defined as heroic-patriotic. Of the fifteen works of the 40s, only three can be considered fully heroic-patriotic:"Joan of Arc" , "Attila" , "Battle of Legnano" . To a certain extent, they include"Nabucco" And"Lombards" , but in these operas, patriotic ideas do not occupy the only dominant position. The remaining ten works are far from narrowly national themes. Already in the first opera"Oberto" Verdi declared himself in full voice. The libretto, written by Piazza and refined by Solera, was far from being as bad as it is sometimes presented, but, most importantly, it suited Verdi's dramatic talent, one of the requirements of which was the presence of vivid stage situations. The main images of this early opera will be developed later in "Rigoletto" - the unfortunate Count Oberto, who died for the honor of his daughter, Count Scaliger, who seduced the girl. The duet of Oberto and Leonora, where the father, distraught with grief, threatens the young count with terrible revenge, anticipates a similar scene from Rigoletto. Failure of the second opera"Imaginary Stanislav" , the composition of which coincided with a tragic period in the life of the composer, for a long time predetermined the absence of the comic genre in his work. Evidence of the composer's creative maturity was his third opera"Nebuchadnezzar" (Nabucco). Picking up the baton of Rossini's Moses, Verdi directed Italian opera in a new direction. The four acts of the opera reveal the stages of moral development of Nebuchadnezzar, whose troops captured the Jews. The opera made an important step towards the psychological deepening of the character. A prime example of this is the scene of Nebuchadnezzar in the dungeon. In the orchestra, themes characterize the state of mind of the captive king, reminiscent of the main stages of his journey from the moment of his solemn entry into Jerusalem to the sounds of a military march to the moment of his fall and madness. The use of themes-reminiscences in dramatic scenes will be widely developed in subsequent operas, and in a number of works will lead to the use of leitmotifs, as in the opera The Two Foscari. Religious-Christian motifs are very strong in the opera. Only an appeal to the true god helps the king regain his mind and regain power. Nebuchadnezzar destroys the idol of Baal and releases the Jews. The monumental choir of Assyrians and Jews at the end of the opera praises the power of God. The pair of female characters outlined in Oberto acquires a new meaning here. The conflict clash of the two daughters of the king, who love the same hero, will find its continuation in "Aida". In the fourth opera -"Lombards" to an even greater extent, not only heroic-patriotic, but also Christian ideas and the motif of redemption by death, closely adjacent to them, are emphasized. IN"Ernani" Verdi first encounters the type of romantic drama, the main provisions of which were formulated by Victor Hugo in the preface to the drama "Cromwell". In the drama of Hugo, the composer was attracted by strong human characters, genuine passions. In "Ernani" the composer clearly identified the types of images that are then found in a number of operas. The protagonist (tenor) - an exile, a robber or a pirate - will find his continuation in "Robbers", "Alzira", "Corsair" and "Il trovatore". The heroine (soprano) is in love with a courageous young robber (later Amelia, Medora, Leonora). Rival (baritone) - a domineering aristocrat - will appear in "Alzira", "Robbers", "Battle of Legnano", "Troubadour". Starting with Hernani, Verdi writes an introduction to the opera, which exhibits the key themes that sound at the most important moments of the drama. In "Ernani" the typological features of romantic tragedy were formed, which will be developed in similar operas created later. Opera"Two Foscari" , based on Byron's tragedy, opens a line of psychological operas without a love affair. Nevertheless, this is one of the most lyrical and melodically perfect operas by Verdi. Here the composer first used leitmotifs. This circumstance (the opera was written in 1844) changes the idea that, using leitmotifs in his later works, the composer succumbed to the influence of Wagner. With its psychological depth, real tragedy and especially the main storylines, "The Two Foscari" anticipates the opera "Simon Boccanegra", staged 13 years later."Joan of Arc" And"Attila" - two heroic-patriotic operas - turned out to be very uneven. This is especially true of the first, which was largely facilitated by an extremely unsuccessful libretto, which does not contain a single real character. And, although individual scenes were good, for example, the scene of the death of Jeanne, which served as the prototype for the death scene of Arrigo from the beautiful patriotic opera "The Battle of Legnano", the whole turned out to be much worse. The opera "Attila", also a rather uneven work, nevertheless contained a number of places that impress with the power of emotional impact. The scene in which the leader of the Huns recalls a terrible dream, where he is haunted by thoughts of retribution, directly anticipates Macbeth's nightmares. During the feast, Attila suddenly has a vision of an old man, threatening him with death (a similar situation occurs in the feast scene from Macbeth, at the moment the shadow of Banquo appears). "The Battle of Legnano" rises among the heroic-patriotic operas. If in "Joan of Arc" and in "Attila" the difference in the quality of music that sounds in stereotyped heroic situations and in episodes imbued with real passion was sometimes very great, then in "Battle", largely due to a successful libretto, this problem The "Battle of Legnano" is directly related to the "Sicilian Vespers" created many years later. Verdi's favorite opera"Macbeth" - one of the peaks of the composer's work. It will take about forty years before Verdi again creates an opera based on Shakespeare's plot. The absence of an outwardly attractive love affair allowed the composer in "Macbeth" to more deeply reveal other secrets of the human soul, to reveal the negative and make it dominant in the actions of the main characters. The opera is filled with dramatic passion, but this passion is a thirst for power and dominance that stops at nothing. In operas written before Macbeth, there are many deep psychological characteristics, but the pronounced demonic, as the fundamental principle of everything that happens, has not yet been encountered. Macbeth is one of Verdi's most interesting images. He is weak, psychologically unstable, strong only as long as he feels the support of otherworldly forces behind him. The development of characters unusual for Italian opera led to the expansion of vocal and orchestral means. Vocal writing becomes more flexible and varied. The timbre dramaturgy acquires a qualitatively new sound. Opera"Robbers" , which appeared simultaneously with "Macbeth", although it belongs to a different variety of the genre, is stylistically close to it. "Robbers", developing the principles of "Ernani", directly lead to"Troubadour" , not much inferior to this famous opera. Having paid tribute to the religious and Christian themes, romantic tragedies with a love triangle, comprehending the gloomy depths of the human soul, glorifying his native Italy, Verdi turned away from these paths."Louise Miller" , "Stiffelio" far from impressive pictures of the siege of Jerusalem, the dungeons of the Council of Ten, witches and ghosts. There are not even pirates and robbers in them. Almost for the first time, Verdi deliberately abandons external decorativeness in favor of a simple burgher tragedy. In "Louise" and "Stiffelio" the features of the lyrical opera are formed, in many respects anticipating

Verdi is a classic of Italian musical culture, one of the most significant composers of the 19th century. His music is characterized by a spark of high civil pathos that does not fade over time, unmistakable accuracy in the embodiment of the most complex processes occurring in the depths of the human soul, nobility, beauty and inexhaustible melody. Peru composer owns 26 operas, spiritual and instrumental works, romances. The most significant part of Verdi's creative heritage are operas, many of which (" Rigoletto», « La Traviata», « Aida», « Othello”) have been heard from the stages of opera houses around the world for more than a hundred years. Works of other genres, with the exception of inspirational Requiem, are practically unknown, the manuscripts of most of them are lost.

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Verdi, unlike many musicians of the 19th century, did not proclaim his creative principles in program speeches in the press, did not associate his work with the approval of the aesthetics of a particular artistic direction. Nevertheless, his long, difficult, not always impetuous and crowned with victories creative path was directed towards a deeply suffered and conscious goal - the achievement of musical realism in an opera performance. Life in all its variety of conflicts is the overarching theme of the composer's work. The range of its embodiment was unusually wide - from social conflicts to the confrontation of feelings in the soul of one person. At the same time, Verdi's art carries a sense of special beauty and harmony. “I like everything in art that is beautiful,” said the composer. His own music also became an example of beautiful, sincere and inspired art.

Clearly aware of his creative tasks, Verdi was tireless in search of the most perfect forms of embodiment of his ideas, extremely demanding of himself, of librettists and performers. He often himself selected the literary basis for the libretto, discussed in detail with the librettists the entire process of its creation. The most fruitful collaboration connected the composer with such librettists as T. Solera, F. Piave, A. Ghislanzoni, A. Boito. Verdi demanded dramatic truth from the singers, he was intolerant of any manifestation of falsehood on stage, senseless virtuosity, not colored by deep feelings, not justified by dramatic action. "...Great talent, soul and stage flair" - these are the qualities that he above all appreciated in performers. "Meaningful, reverent" performance of operas seemed to him necessary; "... when operas cannot be performed in all their integrity - the way they were intended by the composer - it is better not to perform them at all."

Verdi lived a long life. He was born into the family of a peasant innkeeper. His teachers were the village church organist P. Baistrocchi, then F. Provezi, who led the musical life in Busseto, and the conductor of the Milan theater La Scala V. Lavigna. Being already a mature composer, Verdi wrote: “I learned some of the best works of our time, not by studying them, but by hearing them in the theater ... I would be lying if I said that in my youth I did not go through a long and rigorous study ... I have a hand strong enough to handle the note as I wish, and confident enough to get the effects I intended most of the time; and if I write anything not according to the rules, it is because the exact rule does not give me what I want, and because I do not consider all the rules adopted to this day unconditionally good.

The first success of the young composer was associated with the production of the opera " Oberto"In 1839. After 3 years, the opera Nebuchadnezzar was staged in the same theater (" Nabucco”), which brought the author wide fame (1841). The first operas of the composer appeared in the era of revolutionary upsurge in Italy, which was called the era of the Risorgimento (Italian - revival). The struggle for the unification and independence of Italy engulfed the whole people. Verdi could not stand aside. He deeply experienced the victories and defeats of the revolutionary movement, although he did not consider himself a politician. Heroic-patriotic operas of the 40s. - "Nabucco" (1841), " Lombards on the First Crusade"(1842)," Battle of Legnano"(1848) - were a kind of response to the revolutionary events. The biblical and historical plots of these operas, far from modern, sang heroism, freedom and independence, and therefore were close to thousands of Italians. "Maestro of the Italian Revolution" - this is how contemporaries called Verdi, whose work became unusually popular.

However, the creative interests of the young composer were not limited to the theme of heroic struggle. In search of new plots, the composer turns to the classics of world literature: V. Hugo (“ Ernani", 1844), W. Shakespeare (" Macbeth", 1847), F. Schiller (" Louise Miller", 1849). The expansion of the themes of creativity was accompanied by a search for new musical means, the growth of composer's skill. The period of creative maturity was marked by a remarkable triad of operas: Rigoletto (1851), Troubadour"(1853), "La Traviata" (1853). In the work of Verdi, for the first time, a protest against social injustice sounded so openly. The heroes of these operas, endowed with ardent, noble feelings, come into conflict with the generally accepted norms of morality. Turning to such plots was an extremely bold step (Verdi wrote about La Traviata: “The plot is modern. Another would not have taken up this plot, perhaps, because of decency, because of the era, and because of a thousand other stupid prejudices .. .I do it with the greatest pleasure”).

By the mid 50s. Verdi's name is widely known throughout the world. The composer concludes contracts not only with Italian theaters. In 1854 he creates an opera Sicilian Vespers"for the Parisian theater Grand Opera, a few years later the operas" Simon Boccanegra" (1857) and " Masquerade ball"(1859, for the Italian theaters San Carlo and Appolo). In 1861, by order of the directorate of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater, Verdi created the opera Force of Destiny". In connection with its production, the composer travels to Russia twice. The opera was not a great success, although Verdi's music was popular in Russia.

Among the operas of the 60s. the most popular opera Don Carlos"(1867) based on the drama of the same name by Schiller. The music of "Don Carlos", saturated with deep psychologism, anticipates the peaks of Verdi's operatic creativity - "Aida" and "Othello". Aida was written in 1870 for the opening of a new theater in Cairo. The achievements of all previous operas organically merged in it: the perfection of music, bright coloring, and sharpness of dramaturgy.

Following "Aida" was created "Requiem" (1874), after which there was a long (more than 10 years) silence caused by a crisis in public and musical life. In Italy, there was a widespread passion for the music of R. Wagner, while the national culture was in oblivion. The current situation was not just a struggle of tastes, different aesthetic positions, without which artistic practice is unthinkable, and the development of all art. It was a time of falling priority of national artistic traditions, which was especially deeply experienced by the patriots of Italian art. Verdi reasoned as follows: “Art belongs to all peoples. No one believes in this more firmly than I do. But it develops individually. And if the Germans have a different artistic practice than we do, their art is fundamentally different from ours. We can't compose like the Germans..."

Thinking about the future fate of Italian music, feeling a huge responsibility for every next step, Verdi set about implementing the concept of the opera Othello (1886), which became a true masterpiece. "Othello" is an unsurpassed interpretation of the Shakespearean story in the operatic genre, a perfect example of a musical and psychological drama, the creation of which the composer went all his life.

Verdi's last work is the comic opera " falstaff"(1892) - surprises with its cheerfulness and impeccable craftsmanship; it seems to open a new page in the composer's work, which, unfortunately, has not been continued. Verdi's whole life is illuminated by a deep conviction in the correctness of the chosen path: "As far as art is concerned, I have my own thoughts, my own convictions, very clear, very precise, from which I cannot, and should not, refuse." L. Escudier, one of the composer's contemporaries, very aptly described him: “Verdi had only three passions. But they reached the greatest strength: love for art, national feeling and friendship. Interest in the passionate and truthful work of Verdi does not weaken. For new generations of music lovers, it invariably remains a classic standard that combines clarity of thought, inspiration of feeling and musical perfection.

A. Zolotykh

The son of an innkeeper, he studies music in Busseto (with the organist of the local cathedral F. Provezi) and literature, then takes composition lessons in Milan with Lavigna. In 1836 he marries the daughter of his patron Antonio Barezzi Margherita, who dies in 1840, following her two children. In 1842, the first success at La Scala was brought to the composer by the opera Nebuchadnezzar. In 1847 he staged the opera The Robbers in London and Jerusalem in Paris. From this time begins his constant relationship with the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi. In 1848 he was with Mazzini in Milan after the Five Days and in Rome during the proclamation of the republic. In 1851 he settled in the estate of Santa Agata (Villanova d'Arda) together with Strepponi, whom he married in 1859. Member of the first Italian parliament, was invited to the Paris Exhibition of 1854/55; in 1861 and 1862 he was present in St. Petersburg at the production of the opera The Force of Destiny. Since 1866 he has been living in Genoa for a long time, especially in winter. Probably here in 1868 he met the soprano Teresa Stolz, a native of Bohemia, who became his greatest performer and friend to the end of his days. In 1871, on the occasion of the celebration in Cairo of the opening of the Suez Canal, he wrote the opera Aida; in 1874 he conducted the Requiem, dedicated to the memory of Alessandro Manzoni, but conceived in memory of Rossini. In the same year he was appointed Senator of the Kingdom of Italy. In 1889, he buys land to build a nursing home for musicians. In 1893, at the age of almost eighty, he finished Falstaff.

Having become the national glory of Italy, revered more even as a state than as a musical figure, Verdi was destined for an enviable and almost constant success with the public throughout his long life and the same posthumous fame, which does not diminish at all. Not interested in serving some of his ideology, Verdi teaches to approach life's problems without prejudice and limitations. Hence the constant balance that makes up the charm of his clear, logical and flexible art, even despite the intricate plots of mature operas: elegance, fine taste distinguish all the forms he uses, including those that border on the so-called vulgar (and most difficult).

An integral artist, who understood the language of the theater like no other, he showed how to save his classical models, dating back to the 18th century, while simultaneously combining with them in a rational alloy the numerous stylistic trends that replaced them in music, especially in the second half of the century. . This process undoubtedly favored the complex psychological and social analysis characteristic of Verdi up to Othello with its pessimism and Falstaff with its brilliant, jokingly academic findings.

As for the vocal beginning, Verdi, a certain supporter of increased plasticity and clarity of performance, very quickly also raised the importance of recitation of rare flexibility - this whole complex requires a long preparation from the performer. The introductions to almost all of the composer's operas are remarkable for their amazing, magnificent power. A master of ensemble writing - one might say, modern in terms of brevity of pace and clear, albeit ardent embodiment, alien to arbitrariness and hedonistic excesses, he considered stage action to be the goal, avoiding, however, making it a means, since he realized that the main thing in musical drama is music.

In addition to the operatic genre, the composer touched in passing on the chamber instrumental form (a single quartet) and did not turn much to songwriting with piano accompaniment. In the field of sacred music, on the contrary, he left historical examples, among which stands out the Requiem, partly written in memory of Gioacchino Rossini and then dedicated to the memory of Alessandro Manzoni: a synthesis of the entire 19th century, it seems to combine the solemn splendor of the most majestic cathedrals with the tenderness of provincial masses and stands out its dramatic, theatrical character. This is the Mausoleum, a new pantheon, created as if for the characters of Verdi, for Violetta, Rigoletto, Leonora, Macbeth and others, for the highest truth, if you look closely, cannot be anything other than forgiveness. And the kingdom of heaven awaits them all.

When La Traviata was first performed on March 6, 1853 in Venice, it was a decisive failure. The opera was not liked by critics or the public. A big problem arose with the singers: the heroine was too magnificent, dying of consumption, and everyone thought it was a joke. Costumes were another problem: the opera was performed in modern clothes (that is, of course, in modern clothes for 1853), and then it was unusual for everyone to have performers dressed in modern clothes at the Grand Opera. In a later version, all this was changed. And that's when the opera was a success in Italy. The general public fell in love with her - and from the very beginning - also in England and America, but not the critics. They believed that the story was "disgusting, terrible and immoral." But critics are often wrong at first, and the public is usually right. Today, this opera, which has become one hundred and fifty years older, is one of the most popular, and the story of Violetta can be found in books of opera plots addressed to children. That's the moral of the critics for you.

PRELUDE

This story, of course, is about illness and love. By itself, this is not a very attractive combination. However, when you realize that the first theme of the famous prelude is nothing more than the motive of the heroine’s illness, and the second is her love, you are convinced how wonderfully composers can sometimes speak about things that seem unattractive. And this is a great lesson for us.

ACT I

The first action takes place during an evening reception in the living room of Violetta Valeri's house. At the back is a door leading to other rooms; on the sides are two other rooms. Left fireplace; above it is a mirror. In the middle of the stage is a luxuriously set table. The mistress of the house is Violetta, a charming young lady of rather dubious reputation. (In fact, Alexandre Dumas son, the author of the novel that gave the plot for the opera, based her character on the features of a real courtesan, whom he knew and loved in Paris in the 40s of the 19th century. Her real name was Alfonzina Plessis, but she changed it on Marie Duplessis, so that it sounds more sublime.) Violetta, sitting on the sofa, chats cheerfully with the doctor and some friends, while others, walking, go to meet the belated guests, including the baron and Flora arm in arm with the marquis. Already by the first sounds of the introduction, it becomes clear to us that this is a very cheerful company. Pretty soon, Violetta introduces to the assembled society a young man who came to Paris from the provinces. This is Alfred Germont, a sweet, slightly naive young man with a magnificent tenor voice. He demonstrates it in his "Drinking Song" (Brindisi): "Libiam, ne" lieti calici "(" We will raise the cups of fun high "). Violetta, and then everyone else, picks up the song and joins in the carefree waltz rhythm of this melody. All the guests rush to the next room to dance, but Violetta lingers in the room, she feels weak, she is tormented by a cough Alfred, who also lingers in the room, addresses her very seriously and talks about how much he loves her, despite the fact that "I've only seen her before from afar. His words are so tender, so passionate, that Violetta is both excited and puzzled. With mock carelessness and cheerfulness, she advises him to forget her. She knows that girls of her kind are not suitable for this sincere young man. Their voices merge into an expressive coloratura at the end of this duet, and before the guests return, she promises to see him again the next day.

Late night. The guests disperse, and Violetta is left alone. Her big stage follows. She sings the aria "Ah, forse lui che l" anima solinga ne "tumulti" ("Was it not you who appeared to me in the silence of the night in sweet dreams"): can this provincial young man really bring true love into her life of a night butterfly. She picks up the passionate melody she sang shortly before, but then (in the so-called cabaletta to the aria) she exclaims: “Madness! Madness!”, “Semper libera” (“To be free, to be careless”) - this is the content of the second part of her aria. Her life should be free. She pauses for a moment as she hears Alfred's voice under the balcony repeating his love music, but Violetta only becomes more stubborn. In an effort to drown out the call of love, she repeats her coloratura roulades. Almost all sopranos bring these roulades to a high C, although Verdi himself did not write them in this way. At the end of this action, we know that with all her internal resistance, this lady is already burning with passion.

ACT II

Scene 1 happens three months later. The love story, which began at the evening in Violetta's house, was continued, and now Violetta retired with Alfred in a small country house near Paris. The curtain rises and we see the living room on the lower floor of the house. At the back are two glass doors leading to the garden. Between them, right in front of the viewer, is a fireplace, above which is a mirror and a clock. In the foreground are also doors - one against the other. Armchairs, tables, a few books and a writing set. Alfred enters; he is in a hunting suit. In his first aria "De" miei bollenti spiriti "(" Peace and tranquility in my soul "), he sings about how Violetta is dear to him and how he is crazy about her. But it is Violetta who pays all the bills for this their current housing; and from a conversation with Annina, her maid, Alfred learns that Violetta is going to sell some of her personal belongings (for example, the carriage and horses she no longer needs).The hot young man himself rushes to Paris to get the necessary thousand louis. And when a few minutes later, Alfred's father appears, he finds Violetta alone. A long, expressive duet sounds. At first, the father sharply demands that Violetta break with Alfred. Gradually, he begins to understand that there is true nobility in this woman, and then he changes his tone: now he does not demand, but begs her. Alfred's sister, he says, will never be able to marry well as long as this "scandalous" affair of her brother lasts. He formulates this rather rude argument in a delicate form, pouring out honeyed speeches. And - which seems unexpected - Violetta is impressed. Anticipating his rather long farewell, she promises him to give up the love of her life and hide the reasons for this refusal from Alfred. She quickly writes a letter to Alfred and also accepts an invitation to a reception with Flora Bervois, one of her old friends.

Violetta doesn't have time to finish when Alfred appears. He is full of confidence that his father will love her as soon as he sees her. The woman's heart is breaking. Violetta begs him to always love her, then unbeknownst to him leaves the house and leaves for Paris. A moment later, a servant brings him her farewell letter. Completely depressed, he is ready to run after her. At that moment, his father appears and stops him. Old Germont sings his famous aria "Di provenza il mare" ("You forgot your dear land"), in which he reminds his son of their home in Provence and begs him to return. Alfred is inconsolable. Suddenly he sees Flora's invitation and decides that it was because of this invitation that Violetta left him. In a fit of jealousy, he rushes to Paris to take revenge on the "treacherous" lover.

Scene 2 takes us to the setting of a ball-reception, similar to the one with which the opera began. This time the owner is Flora Bervois. The curtain rises, and the viewer opens a gallery in the Palazzo Flora. The decoration and lighting are very rich. Doors leading to other apartments in the back and on the sides. On the right, closer to the viewer, there is a card table; on the left, a buffet with fruits and soft drinks luxuriously decorated with flowers. Armchairs, chairs, sofas everywhere. Flora cares about entertaining her guests. Gypsy dancers and singers sing at the beginning of the scene. Pretty soon Alfred shows up. Everyone is surprised that they see him alone, without Violetta, but he makes it clear that he is of little interest in where she is and what is happening to her. At this time, Violetta appears, accompanied by Baron Dufale, one of her friends from the bad old days. The Baron and Alfred obviously can't stand each other, they start playing cards at rather high stakes. Alfred wins all the time, and while the orchestra plays a little disturbing theme, Violetta, sitting at a distance, prays that the men do not quarrel. Luckily, just as Alfred has almost cleaned out his elderly rival, the invitation to dinner sounds. Violetta begs Alfred to leave Flora's house; she fears that the matter may end in a duel. Alfred says that he will leave, but only with her, and then demands that she answer if she loves the Baron. Remembering the promise she made to old Germont, Violetta tells a lie: yes, she says, she loves the baron. Then Alfred calls on the guests and in front of everyone, in the heat of anger, throws Violetta all the money he won from the baron as a payment for former love. This behavior is shocking - even considering that this is a young Frenchman of the 40s of the XIX century. But most of all, his own father is shocked, arriving at the ball just at the moment when Alfred utters his terrible words. He condemns his son for an ignoble cruel act. Yes, and Alfred himself is embarrassed - embarrassed by his trick ("Oh, what have I done! Top crime!"). The scene ends with a large ensemble number. The Baron challenges Alfred to a duel. Germont takes his son away; the baron follows them. Flora and the doctor take Violetta to the inner rooms. The rest disperse.

ACT III

The last act begins with a very beautiful and very sad introduction. It tells of Violetta's health debilitating illness, and as the curtain rises, the original tension in the music returns. The poor girl now lives in a shabby apartment in Paris. She lies, terminally ill, in bed, the devoted Annina takes care of her. Dr. Grenville was invited to reassure Violetta, to give her at least some hope. But Violetta understands everything; a little later, the doctor whispers in Annina's ear that her life is a matter of hours. Violetta sends the maid away to distribute half of her fortune in twenty louis to the poor and then leans back against the pillows to read the letter. It's from old Germont; it came a few weeks ago, and it says that Alfred wounded the baron in a duel, left the country, but now Alfred knows about the sacrifice that Violetta made, and will come to her to ask her forgiveness himself. Violetta realizes that it's too late. She sings the sublime aria "Addio del passato" ("Forgive me forever about the happiness of dreaming"). At the end of the aria, the voices of a merry crowd are heard outside the windows - after all, in Paris this is the time of carnival - a holiday to which Violetta sends her last farewell.

Suddenly Annina comes back out of breath, she announces the arrival of Alfred. He runs in, and the lovers sing the touching duet "Parigi, o cara" ("We will leave Paris"). In it, they indulge in dreams of leaving Paris so that Violetta can restore her strength in nature, and then they will live happily. Violetta frantically calls for help to get dressed - she no longer has the strength even for this. Annina runs out for the doctor. Germont enters the room, just at the moment when Violetta makes her last sad sacrifice: she gives Alfred a locket with her portrait and asks him to give it to his future wife. Let her know that there is an angel who is praying for both of them. Suddenly, for a moment, Violetta feels relieved, as if life has returned to her. In the orchestra, the quivering love music from the first act is heard in the upper register. But this is only the euphoria that so often precedes death. And with the exclamation "E spenta!" ("O Joy") Violetta falls into the arms of her bitterly repentant lover.

post scriptum about historical circumstances. In the cemetery of Montmartre, right next to the Church of the Sacred Heart, tourists to this day visit the grave of Marie Duplessis, the prototype of the heroine of the opera, traviata (Italian - a lost girl). She died on February 2, 1846, nineteen days after her twenty-second birthday. Among the large number of her lovers in the last year of her life were Alexandre Dumas son and Franz Liszt.

Henry W. Simon (translated by A. Maykapar)

The plot of this sad story belongs to Alexandre Dumas son, who wrote two works about the "traviata" (traviata - fallen) Marguerite Gauthier, with whose real prototype, Marie Duplessis, he was familiar - a novel (1848) and a drama (1852); both titled "The Lady of the Camellias" brought fame to the author. Now the graves of the writer and Duplessis are located nearby in one of the Parisian cemeteries and are a place of pilgrimage for lovers who surrounded them with the same worship as Romeo and Juliet. However, there is an opinion that, despite the success, it would be better for Dumas if he first met Violetta Valeri, the “traviata” of Verdi and Piave. Violetta is such a vital character, such a bright personality that, in comparison with her, the image of Marguerite Dumas pales. At the beginning of his novel, Dumas addresses readers with words that are definitely programmatic, in which one feels the seriousness of his approach from the point of view of the tasks of literature: “I am convinced that you can create types only by deeply studying people, just as you can speak a language only after its study." Verdi, more impulsive, ardent and unreasonable, from the point of view of criticism, admitted that he likes "new, significant, beautiful, diverse, bold" plots and that is why he is happy to work with Dumas's plot. In the mouth of someone else, Verdi's statement may seem too enthusiastic, but in the mouth of Verdi himself it means that he does not limit himself, like Dumas, to "the study of people", as if it were a foreign language, but wants to prove the commonality of human destiny, to show her as if she were his own.

In La Traviata, F. M. Piave gave the musical theater a modern chronicle, and Verdi created a perfect image (even more perfect than Rigoletto) of the main character, “divine”, as if destined to embody all the charm of prima donnas of the 19th century, such as Malibran, Patti (who became the greatest performer of the role of Violetta), and at the same time a very convincing female type, which will no longer be in the composer's operas. Violetta illuminates the entire action and each character, who in turn is called upon to illuminate her. With great skill, Verdi managed to show (especially in the second act) three hypostases of the heroine’s love experience: the cult of freedom inherent in this beauty, her passion for her lover, and finally, self-sacrifice, in which maternal love is already felt (although not realized). Only Puccini's heroines will have such emotional power, but even then we will not see a combination of all these three aspects, all these three characters in one person, as if appealing to different performers in each of the actions.