Falstaff, Opera by G. Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi's final opera, Falstaff, is considered to be a masterpiece despite the composer's advanced age – he was 79 when it premiered at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala on 9 February 1893 – and this production at the Teatro Filarmonico di Verona brings out all of the score's musical agility. Full of comedy, drama and impressively arranged ensemble singing, Falstaff, like earlier operas by Verdi, Macbeth and Otello, was based on works by William Shakespeare, the playwright the Italian composer so greatly admired. Verdi took elements and inspiration from The Merry Wives of Windsor and certain scenes in Henry IV, parts I and II, for his last great composition.
The great maestro worked closely with Arrigo Boito, the librettist with whom he had previously collaborated on Otello, to ensure the operatic interpretation of Falstaff retained Shakespeare's wit and dramatic pacing. Despite the opera's undoubted strengths and critical acclaim, it was only a modest hit when it was first performed. The opera did not truly capture the public's imagination until Arturo Toscanini helped to establish it. The great Italian conductor had been a young cellist of just 25 years of age when he played the cello at the opera's premiere. A lifelong advocate of Falstaff, Toscanini was behind several important performances of the opera, notably a 1950 broadcast of it with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. With other notable devotees, including Herbert von Karajan and, later, Leonard Bernstein, also promoting Falstaff, it went on to become a key part of the regular operatic repertoire, one that's now performed globally.
With much of its action taking place at the Garter Inn in Windsor, Falstaff is a three-act opera. The principal character is Sir John Falstaff, a virtually penniless aristocrat and a somewhat lovable rogue. In the opening scene, it becomes clear that Falstaff cannot cover his debts at the inn and that he may, along with his two henchmen, have robbed a local doctor. Nevertheless, Falstaff has a plan to get himself out of his financial predicament. He plans to seduce two women, Alice Ford and Meg Page, since he thinks this will mean he can access their money. The problem for Falstaff isn't so much that the women happen to be respectably married but that they see through his scheming from the outset and intend to turn the tables on him. With plenty of farcical comedy along the way, including disguises and misunderstandings, will Falstaff learn the error of his ways?
The Teatro Filarmonico di Verona is a delightful auditorium to experience the storytelling and wit of Verdi's last great musical and dramatic triumph.