Who is Verdi? The 80-year-old Verdi wrote a comic opera to ridicule life.

Italian Composer

Verdi (1813-1901)

1. If you don’t know Verdi, you must have heard it

"Drinking Song"

Video: "Drinking Song" from the opera "La Traviata"

2. If you don’t know Verdi, you must have heard it

"The Fickle Women"

Video: "The Fickle Women" is from the opera "Rigoletto"

3. If you don’t know Verdi, But you must have heard it

"Triumph March"

Video: "Triumph March" from the opera "Aida"

But

What was the opera master's last work?

Opera "Falstaff" was created between 1889 and 1893. It is Verdi's last opera and the last work in his life. Verdi, who suffered the loss of his wife and son in his early years, has not touched comedy for 50 years, but after the peak of tragedy "Otello", he returned to comedy again despite his 80-year-old age. It is really unexpected!

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Let’s see what inspiration you have?

1

China Zhu Bajie?

Falstaff is a comedy character in Shakespeare. He is a bit like "Chinese Pig Bajie": lazy, lazy, talkative, lustful but timid! But Falstaff has a rare innocence!

2

Do you also have blind confidence?

Falstaff had a big belly, but he thought he was absolutely lethal to young women: he wrote two identical love letters to the two ladies in an attempt to seduce them, but they were both The lady set up a trap and teased him, and in the end she was so frightened that she cried and begged for mercy. Just like he was so fat that he couldn't see his toes, he couldn't see himself clearly. Obesity is not a disease, but it can lead to arrogance and stupidity. He is a happy bastard, and from this comically dramatic character we can discover our own weakness: blind confidence.

At the end of the opera, Falstaff sings: "That's all in the world." The comedy effect of this play comes from humor. This humor is caused by the weaknesses of human nature. Everyone has their own weaknesses. The world is a farce, and people are nothing more than fools in the farce. Ridiculous people must be pitiful. Maybe you are also that "Falstaff"!

3

If you reach the end of your life

Verdi composed "Falstaff" completely according to his own preferences, and the score is full of Self-deprecating and frequent antics. Verdi never wrote another comic opera after the death of his wife, but he wrote this comic opera at the end of his life.

When Verdi finished writing the opera, he left such a meaningful farewell at the end of the score: "Go, old John (referring to Falstaff)! Live life your way Live as long as you want. You lovely liar, you wear different masks at different times and on different occasions, but under those masks, you are always honest and frank, go and find your happiness! Goodbye!" This is the simplest but most true truth that an old man who knew he was about to die realized on his last journey.

4

It is particularly difficult for Chinese actors to perform in this opera

Many operas have very beautiful melodies, so the performance requirements for actors are not so high. But this is a comedy, and without acting there would be no comedy. The ridiculous thing about Falstaff lies in the actor's performance.

For Chinese actors, it is very difficult for Chinese operas whose language is not their mother tongue. There are a lot of urgent commands in the play, extremely high requirements for pronunciation and memorization of music, and finally, in the high-density There is also a "happy" performance that combines comedy with the duet ratio. Its ultra-high difficulty is also an important reason why it has not yet been staged in a panoramic version in China.

Maybe there is no beautiful aria that makes you remember the melody? But "Fa" can still attract you!

5

The last tribute

Before his death, the painter Hohenstein specially brought Falstaff’s costume to the master’s bedside to pay tribute to him. Making the last portrait is also people's last tribute to him in their own way.

Verdi's heart stopped beating forever at 2:50 in the morning on January 27, 1901. Regarding his own funeral, Verdi once made clear regulations:

No ceremony, no music, everything should be done in silence,

Time is in the silent dawn, This won't disturb anyone.

However, on February 27, 1901, a grand state funeral ceremony was held in Milan. About 200,000 people attended the funeral, and the crowd present sang the chorus he wrote, "The Hebrew Slave Chorus" ( Fly, miss me! Riding on golden wings) The scene is really spectacular. This song is now the second national anthem in the hearts of Italians.

This article is organized by Olive Classical Music. The reference articles are as follows: 1. Li Li "I must occasionally put the fear of God aside" 2. Cao Lingjuan "Shanghai Opera House version is about to debut at the Shanghai Grand Theater" 3 .Han Bin "From Falstaff to "The End""