Starring: Elizabeth Handley
No-one can fail to enjoy an evening at the opera with one of Verdi’s enduring masterpieces – each so diverse in character and content. His stage works are rich in pathos and drama, demonstrating a keen understanding of human nature, and the Italian gift for beautiful and catchy melodies. Most of his works still hold their place on the international stage today, and in this lecture we shall discover why.
Apart from his natural instincts for the theatre, Verdi was also one of Italy’s most notable patriots - a symbol of Italian liberty during one of the most significant periods in the country’s history: freedom from the oppression of foreign rule, and eventual unification. Elizabeth will demonstrate how politics and music are inextricably linked, and how Verdi used music as a powerful weapon in the expression of Italian liberation and nationalism. She also places Verdi into historical context, clarifying his position in the long and illustrious lineage of opera composers, and outlines the significant contributions he made to the elevation of this popular form to high art, and the successful production thereof.