Verdi
Aida, Otello, Requiem
Where Wagner built mythic cathedrals, Verdi built human dramas. His operas live on stage because his characters — Violetta, Rigoletto, Otello — are as vivid and psychologically true as any in literature. The late masterpieces, composed in his seventies, are miracles of renewed invention.
Key works
- Otello1887— Shakespeare perfected in music
- Aida1871— Grand opera's greatest spectacle
- Requiem1874— Opera in sacred vestments
- Falstaff1893— Comedy at 80 — joyous and wise