This week we begin a ten-part series investigating the life and music of Giuseppe Verdi, a towering figure in Italian art and perhaps the greatest composer of 19th-century opera. We’ll explore the nooks and crannies of Verdi’s repertoire, including a trip to Medieval Spain, Shakespeare’s Scotland, and even France! Despite Verdi being known for his work in opera, an art form intimately connected with language, his music transcends words. To end our first week on Verdi, we will listen to his overtures and as Bill would say, “Man, that boy wrote a lot of music!”
Verdi, Giuseppe, Part I
Playlist
Episode 1
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Trovatore: Act III, Scene 2 Sevillana (excerpt)
Bournemouth Symphony/ Serebrier
Ballet Music from the Operas
Naxos 8.572818-19
00:44
Verdi, Giuseppe: Nabucco: Overture (excerpt)
Berlin Philharmonic/ Abbado
Overtures & Preludes
DG 457627
1:01
Monteverdi, Claudio: L’Orfeo (excerpt)
English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir/Gardiner
Monteverdi: L’Orfeo
Archiv 419250
0:29
Rossini, Gioachino: William Tell: “Resta immobile” (excerpt)
Philharmonia Orchestra/Erede; Gobbi, baritone
Tito Gobbi
EMI 63109
1:45
Bellini, Vincenzo: La Sonambula: “Ah, non credea mirarti” (excerpt)
Orchestra La Scintilla/Adam Fischer; Cecilia Bartoli
La Sonambula
Decca 475907-7
2:20
Donizetti, Gaetano: Lucia Di Lammermoor: “Chi Mi Frena in Tal Momento”
Orchestra of the Royal House/ Richard Bonynge; Pavarotti, Milnes,
Sutherland, Ghiaurov, Davies, Poli
Donizetti: Lucia Di Lammermoor
London 410193
3:46
Verdi, Giuseppe: Un Giorno di Regno: Overture
Royal Philharmonic/ Lamberto Gardelli
Verdi: Un Giorno Di Regno
Philips 422429
5:30
Verdi, Giuseppe: Nabucco: Overture
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan/Muti
Famous Choruses
EMI 69846
5:10
Verdi, Giuseppe: Nabucco: “Gli arredi festivi”
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan/Muti
Famous Choruses
EMI 69846
5:06
Verdi, Giuseppe: Nabucco: “Va pensiero”
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan/Muti
Famous Choruses
EMI 69846
4:51
Verdi, Giuseppe: Joan of Arc: “O fatidica foresta”
Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino/Noseda; Netrebko, soprano
Anna Netrebko sings Verdi
DG 4791052
2:15
Verdi, Giuseppe: I Lombardi: Act III (excerpt)
NBC Symphony Orchestra/Toscanini; Mischakoff, violin
Complete Collections – The Verdi Recordings
RCA 67893
4:40
Verdi, Giuseppe: I Lombardi: “O Signore, Dal Tetto Natio”
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan/Riccardo Muti
Famous Choruses
EMI 69846
3:54
Episode 2
Verdi, Giuseppe: Macbeth- Act lll, Scene 1 Witches Dance (excerpt)
Bournemouth Symphony/Jose Serebrier
VERDI, G.: Ballet Music from the Operas
Naxos 8.572818-19
00:43
Verdi, Giuseppe: Giovanna D’Arco: “Qui! Qui!, dove piu s’apre”
Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino/Noseda; Anna Netrebko, soprano
Verdi / Anna Netrebko
DG 001881810
2:32
Verdi, Giuseppe: Ernani: Act 1: Prelude
Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala Milan/Muti
Ernani
EMI 47082
3:18
Verdi, Giuseppe: Ernani: “Un Patto! Un Giuramento! Si Ridesti Il Leon Di Castiglia”
Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala Milan/Muti
Verdi: The Great Operas
EMI 69847
2:11
Verdi, Giuseppe: Ernani: “Ernani! Ernani, Involami”
Philharmonia of Russia Verdi/ Orbelian; Sondra Radvanovsky, soprano
Verdi: Arias
Delos 3404
8:08
Verdi, Giuseppe: Attila: “Del Ciel Límmensa Volta”
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan/Muti
Famous Choruses
EMI 69846
1:39
Verdi, Giuseppe: Attila: “Chi Dona Luce Al Cor?”, “Urli, Rapine”, “Viva Il Re Delle Mille Foreste”
Orchestra and Chorus of La Scala Milan/Muti
Famous Choruses
EMI 69846
5:17
Verdi, Giuseppe: Macbeth: Prelude to Act I
La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra Verdi/Muti
Verdi: The Great Operas
EMI 167452
3:10
Verdi, Giuseppe: Macbeth: “Patria oppressa!”
Orchestra & Chorus of La Scala Milan/Muti
Verdi: The Great Operas
EMI 167452
6:51
Verdi, Giuseppe: Macbeth: “Una macchia e qui tuttora…”, “Perfidi!
St. Cecilia Academy Orchestra & Chorus/Schippers; Birgit Nilsson, Giuseppe Taddei
Complete Works
Lon 433034
11:30
Verdi, Giuseppe: Macbeth- Act lll, Scene 1 Witches Dance
Bournemouth Symphony/Jose Serebrier
VERDI, G.: Ballet Music from the Operas
Naxos 8.572818-19
2:25
Verdi, Giuseppe: Macbeth- Act lll, Scene 1 Witches Dance (excerpt)
Bournemouth Symphony/Jose Serebrier
VERDI, G.: Ballet Music from the Operas
Naxos 8.572818-19
0:40
Episode 3
Verdi, Giuseppe: I Masnadieri, Act III “Le Rube, Gli Stupri”
Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Georg Solti
Verdi: Opera Choruses
Lon 430226
2:46
Verdi, Giuseppe: Overture to Il Corsaro
La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra/Muti
Overtures and Preludes
Sony 6237
2:40
Verdi, Giuseppe: Overture to Luisa Miller
La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra/Muti
Overtures and Preludes
Sony 6237
5:56
Verdi, Giuseppe: “Ah! fu giusto il mio sospetto”
Luisa Miller Metropolitan Opera/ Thomas Schippers Orchestra/Sherrill Milnes, baritone
Verdi: Luisa Miller
Sony 88691909942
3:00
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Trovatore, Act III: “Squilli, Echeggi La Tromba”
Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Georg Solti
Verdi: Opera Choruses
Lon 430226
2:54
Verdi, Giuseppe: Trovatore, Act I: “Tacea La notte placida”
New Philharmonia/Mehta; Leontyne Price, soprano
Verdi: Il Trovatore
RCA 39504
5:35
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Travatore, Act II: “Il balen del suo sorriso”
New Philharmonia/Mehta; Sherrill Milnes, baritone
Verdi: Il Trovatore
RCA 39504
3:33
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Trovatore, Act III: Di quella pira”
RCA Victor Orchestra/Renato Cellini; Jussi Björling, tenor
Verdi: Il Trovatore
RCA 6643
2:05
Verdi, Giuseppe: “Di quella pira” fr. Il Trovatore, Act III
Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale/Fiorentino; Luciano Pavarotti, tenor
Verdi: Il Trovatore
Lon 430694
3:03
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Trovatore Act III, Scene 2, Sevillana
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Jose Serebrier
Ballet Music from the Operas
Naxos 8.572818
4:07
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Trovatore: “Stride la vampa!…mesta è la tua canzon!”
LSO/Bonynge; Horne, mezzo soprano
Verdi: Il Trovatore
Lon 417137
5:16
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Trovatore, Act IV, Scene 2” “Ai nostri monti…”
Enrico Caruso, tenor; Ernestine Schumann-Heink, contralto
Verdi: Il Trovatore
Opera d’Oro
4:17
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Trovatore Act II “Vedi! le fosche notturne spoglie”
Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Georg Solti
Verdi: Opera Choruses
Lon 430226
2:44
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Trovatore “D’amor sull’ali rosee” (excerpt)
New Philharmonia Orchestra/Mehta; Price, soprano
Verdi: Il Trovatore
RCA 39504
2:08
Episode 4
Verdi, Giuseppe: Rigoletto: “Questa o quella”
Santa Cecilia Academy Rome Orchestra & Chorus/Sinopoli; Neil Shicoff, tenor
Eloquence – Verdi: Rigoletto
Philips 468178
1:58
Verdi, Giuseppe: Rigoletto: “Caro nome – E la…Miratela”
Orchestra Santa Cecilia/Sinopoli; Edita Gruberová, soprano
Eloquence – Verdi: Rigoletto
Philips 468178
7:16
Verdi, Giuseppe: Rigoletto, Act III: “La donna è mobile”
Orchestra; Jussi Björling, tenor
Arias, Duets & Songs, Vol. II
EMI 64707
2:09
Verdi, Giuseppe: La Traviata, Act I Prelude
Philharmonia Orchestra/Muti
Verdi: La Traviata
EMI Classics 09695
3:51
Verdi, Giuseppe: La Traviata, Act I: “Dell’invito trascorsa è gia l’ora” and “libiamo ne’ lieti calici”
Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Chorus/Muti; Renata Scotto, soprano; Alfredo Krause, tenor
Verdi: The Great Operas
EMI 62503
7:33
Verdi, Giuseppe: La Traviata: “Ah, Fors’E Lui”, “Follie! Follie! Delirio vano è questo!” and “Sempre libera”
Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Chorus/Muti; Renata Scotto, soprano; Alfredo Krause, tenor
Verdi: The Great Operas
EMI 62503
9:55
Verdi, Giuseppe: La Traviata – Act 2: “Di provenza Il mar, Il suol”
Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Chorus/Muti; Renato Bruson, baritone
Verdi: The Great Operas
EMI 62503
4:39
Verdi, Giuseppe: La Traviata: “Parigi, o cara”
Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Chorus/Muti; Renata Scotto, soprano; Alfredo Krause, tenor
Verdi: The Great Operas
EMI 62503
4:07
Verdi, Giuseppe: La Traviata Act III, Finale- “Ah, Violetta!” & “Prendi, quest’e l’immagine”
Riccardo: Philharmonia Orchestra/Muti; Renata Scotto, Alfredo Kraus
Verdi: The Great Operas
EMI 62503
6:09
Episode 5
Verdi, Giuseppe: Il Vespri Siciliani: Overture
Berliner Philharmoniker/Claudio Abbado
Verdi: Overtures & Preludes
DG 457627
9:26
Verdi, Giuseppe: Un Ballo In Maschera, Act I: “Posa In Pace”
Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/Solti
Verdi: Opera Choruses
London 430226
1:48
Verdi, Giuseppe: Un Ballo In Maschera, Act II: “Ecco l’orrido campo…ma dall’arido stelo divulsa”
Philharmonia of Russia/Constantine Orbelian; Sondra Radvanovsky, soprano
Verdi: Arias
Delos 3404
9:07
Verdi, Giuseppe: Un Ballo In Maschera, Act I: Canzone- “Di’ tu se fedele”
Parma Opera Orchestra/Morandi; Jonas Kaufmann, tenor
The Verdi Album
Sony 549200
3:25
Verdi, Giuseppe: Un Ballo In Maschera, Act I: “forse La Soglia”
Parma Opera Orchestra/Morandi; Jonas Kaufmann, tenor
The Verdi Album
Sony 549200
5:39
Verdi, Giuseppe: La Forza Del Destino: Overture
Milan Symphony Orchestra/Chailly
Verdi: Complete Works
Decca B0081090-02
3:11
Verdi, Giuseppe: La Forza Del Destino: “Pace, pace, mio Dio”
RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra/Thomas Schippers; Leontyne Price, soprano
Verdi: Opera Choruses
Lon 001742502
5:17
Verdi, Giuseppe: String Quartet in E Minor: I. Allegro
Quartetto Italiano
Verdi: The Complete Works
Decca 001806202
7:13