Review
Verdi's last opera, Falstaff, was his first comic opera in over 50 years. Verdi and his librettist, Boito, kept the composition secret since Verdi was somewhat less comfortable with comic opera, and he wanted to have the option of canceling the production -- even after the dress rehearsal. Boito's libretto has its basis in Shakespeare's
The Merry Wives of Windsor with additional material from
Henry VI , parts 1 and 2. The premiere at the
Teatro alla Scala was a triumph, but, as always, Verdi continued to make adjustments to the score for both the Rome and Paris premieres; these changes were incorporated into the final version of the score.
A mercurial work, Falstaff is an opera that breaks with earlier operatic convention in many ways. While the title character has few moments for vocal display, his two important monologues are marvelous examples of comedy in music. The leading soprano, Alice Ford, has no arias at all. The jealous husband Ford's monologue is a brilliant display piece -- but it loses its dramatic punch when removed from the integral and brilliantly paced dramatic whole. Only the two lovers, Nannetta and Fenton, have lyric moments which remind the listener of the younger Verdi; their music is in a simpler style than that for the other characters, perhaps reflecting their relative innocence.
Falstaff sounds musically simple, largely due to the skill with which the composer matched his score to the natural pace of the comedy; yet it is by far Verdi's most complex score -- even more so than Othello, which sounds on its surface to be far more daunting. The last act finale is the only formal fugue Verdi ever put into an opera (although he had used the form in his Messa da Requiem). His use of different meters for the women and the men singing at the same time in the second scene of Act One creates a feeling of controlled mass confusion -- exactly what the plot requires at that time. The music for the fairies in Act Three is almost Mendelssohnian in character. Early audiences were often puzzled by this complexity but nearly always gave in to the charm and originality of the score; Verdi's by-then-unassailable reputation was no doubt helpful in opening uncertain ears to his innovations.
The orchestral writing is especially gratifying -- and difficult; the amount of nuance required from the ensemble is staggering. The orchestral trills which show the wine warming Falstaff after being dunked into the Thames River is one of the finest examples. Another innovative feature of the score is the numerous passages which are sung without any accompaniment; Verdi had done this before, for example in Luisa Miller, but it is a much more prominent feature in Falstaff.
Falstaff will probably never be performed with the regularity enjoyed by Verdi's other works, largely due to the enormous rehearsal demands required to sufficiently prepare an ensemble cast. However, it is universally recognized as one of opera's finest masterpieces, and the composer's crowning achievement. ~ Richard LeSueur, All Music Guide
Albums with Complete Performances of the Work
Anthology of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, 1960-1970 [Box Set]
Arturo Toscanini - The Salzburg Experience 1935-1937
Arturo Toscanini Collection, Volume 57: Giuseppe Verdi~Falstaff 1990
Deutsche Grammophon Centenary Collection, 1978-1987 (Box Set)
Falstaff 1995
Falstaff
Falstaff 1995
Falstaff
Giuseppe Verdi Falstaff
Giuseppe Verdi [Wallet Box] 2005
Giuseppe Verdi: Aida; Falstaff; Requiem 1990
Giuseppe Verdi: Falstaff 1994
Giuseppe Verdi: Falstaff
Giuseppe Verdi: Falstaff
Giuseppe Verdi: Falstaff 2008
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Giuseppe Campora
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Toti dal Monte
Shakespeare at the Opera: The Great Adaptations [Box Set] 2007
The Art Of Fritz Reiner, Vol. 12
The Complete EMI Recordings 1946-1984, Vol. 2: Opera & Vocal 2008
The Verdi Recordings [Box Set] 2005
Titta Ruffo: The Best Of His Favourites, 1912-1929
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 1999
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 1996
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 2000
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 2000
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 2000
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 2001
Verdi: Falstaff 1999
Verdi: Falstaff 2001
Verdi: Falstaff 2001
Verdi: Falstaff 1989
Verdi: Falstaff 2000
Verdi: Falstaff 2002
Verdi: Falstaff 2001
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 2002
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 1994
Verdi: Falstaff 2004
Verdi: Falstaff 2004
Verdi: Falstaff 2004
Verdi: Falstaff 2005
Verdi: Falstaff 2005
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 2006
Verdi: Falstaff 1999
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 1999
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff 2006
Verdi: Falstaff [DVD Video] 2008
Verdi: Falstaff [DVD Video] 2006
Verdi: Falstaff [DVD Video] 2007
Verdi: Falstaff [Hybrid SACD] 2004
Verdi: The Greatest Operas (Macbeth, Rigoletto, Il trovatore, La traviata, Aida, Otello, Falstaff) [Box Set] 2007
Verdi:Falstaff
Albums with Excerpt Performances of the Work
10 Great Tenors [Box Set]
100 Years of Great Music 1997
A Celebration 2005
A Total Embrace: The Conductor 2003
A Verdi Weekend
A to Z of Opera 2000
Airs d'Opéras
Alexander Svéd Sings Verdi Arias and Scenes
American Opera Singer 1997
Antologia Della Tradizione Vocale Italiana
Antonio Scotti
Arias 1996
Arie Senza Voce: Baritono
Arie d'Opera & Canzoni 2001
Audio Archive Classics: Ferruccio Tagliavini
BBC Proms, 98
Bel Canto
Best of Titta Ruffo (Original Recordings from 1912 to 1929)
Biographies in Music: Lawrence Tibbett, At His Magnificent Best
Biographies in Music: Leonard Warren
Bryn Terfel: Opernarien
Carlo Felice in Genoa, Vol. 8 1997
Carlos Alvarez: Opera Arias 1999
Celebri registrazioni Cetra, 1939-1954 2003
Centenary Edition: 100 Years of Great Music (Box Set) 1997
Cesare Formichi
Christa Ludwig: Live Recordings, 1955-1994 2008
Classic CD No. 1
Covent Garden On Record: A History, Volume I
Covent Garden on Record, Vol. 3 1993
Covent Garden on Record, Vol. 4 1993
Creators' Records
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: Live (1976-1992) 2000
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: Opera Scenes(1965-1976) 2000
Donizetti: Il borgomastro di Saardam
Dramatic Scenes & Arias 2003
Duetti e arie d'opera 1993
EMI Centenary Edition, Vol. 3
Early Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon [Box Set]
Famous Arias
Famous Italian Baritones
Famous Italian Baritones of the Past, Vol. 2
Famous Opera Arias 2002
Favourite Verdi's Singers
Ferruccio Tagliavini In Opera 1997
Ferruccio Tagliavini Recital
Ferruccio Tagliavini The Best 78 RPM Recordings 1940/48
Ferruccio Tagliavini The Early Italian Recordings
Ferruccio Tagliavini in Recital
Ferruccio Tagliavini, The Early Operatic Recordings 1940-1943 1993
Ferruccio Tagliavini: The First 78 RPM Recordings (1940-1948)
Fischer-Dieskau Edition (Box Set) 2000
Four Famous Italian Baritones
Four Italian Baritones Of The Past
Frances Alda: The Complete Victor Recordings, 1909-15 1999
Friedrich von Flowtow: Marta 2002
Frühe Aufnamen: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Georg Hann: Seine Letzten Aufnahmen
George London-Recital 1952-1955
Gino Bechi
Giuseppe De Luca On Radio-Broadcast Recordings Of The Great Italian Baritone
Giuseppe Taddei
Giuseppe Taddie
Golden Years of Titta Ruffo
Gramophone Editor's Choice, November 2004 2004
Gramophone Editor's Choice, October 2001 2001
Grandes Arias pour Baryton 1993
Great Arias and Ensembles From Your Favorite Operas 2005
Great Baritone Arias
Great Moments of Opera 1995
Great Moments of Opera, Vol. 3 1993
Great Opera Baritones: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau 2000
Great Operatic Arias 2001
Great Operatic Arias [English] 1998
Great Operatic Arias, Vol. 2 2008
Great Singers in New York: The Age of Caruso 1993
Great Singers in Original Roles in Toscanini's Productions
Great Verdi Arias 1996
Great Voices at Teatro Regio in Turin 1998
Hans Hotter
Harold Wayne Collection Vol. 8 1992
Harold Wayne Collection Volume 39 2000
Herbert Von Karajan Conducts Opera 1988
His Greatest Hits During War Time: 1940-1943 1995
Il "Carlo Felice" di Genova: Un secolo di grandi voci, Vol. 1
Il "Carlo Felice" di Genova: Un secolo di grandi voci, Vol. 3
Il "Carlo Felice" di Genova: Un secolo di grandi voci, Vol. 4
Il "Carlo Felice" di Genova: Un secolo di grandi voci, Vol. 5
Il "Carlo Felice" di Genova: Un secolo di grandi voci, Vol. 6
Il "Carlo Felice" di Genova: Un secolo di grandi voci, Vol. 7
Il Baritono Di Toscanini
Il mito dell'opera
Incontri Memorabili, Vol. 34
Incontri memorabili: Graziella Sciutti and Marcella Pobbe and Cesare Siepi
James Levine Anniversary Collection 1971-1996, Disc Three 1997
Josef Metternich Sings
Karajan Conducts Opera
Kongelig Kammersanger 1998
La Scala Edition, Volume 2 1993
La Voce di baritono nella tradizione Italiana: Famous Recordings from 1906 to 1943
Largo al factotum: Great Operatic Arias for Baritone 2002
Lawrence Tibbett On Stage (1926-1939)
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Afro Poli
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Antonio Magini Coletti
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Ferruccio Tagliavini
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Giuseppe Valdengo II
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Karl Erb
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Leonard Warren
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Leonard Warren, Vol. 4 2006
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Leopold Demuth
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Mariano Stabile
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Mario Sammarco
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Piero Pauli
Lebendige Vergangenheit: Robert Weede
Legendary Baritones 1995
Legendary Voices of the Salzburg Festival
Leonard Warren
Leonard Warren Recital
Leonard Warren on Tour in Russia 1989
Les Introubables du Chant Verdian, Vols. 1&2 2000
Lieder & Arias 2001
Live Radio Broadcasts
Magic Verdi 2001
Malipiero: Giulio Cesare
Marcella Pobbe: Classic Collection
Mirella Freni sings Puccini, Verdi, Bellini, Rossini, etc. 1988
Mozart: Don Giovanni 2006
Nick Kimberley: Discover Opera 2006
Night At the Opera 2000
On Records & Radio 1997
Opera Arias 1997
Opera Arias & Concert Songs 2000
Opera Catalogue CD Sampler, Vol. 2
Opera Gala [Box Set] 2008
Opera Heroes: Tito Gobbi 1998
Opera Obsession! Act III 2006
Opernarien (Opera Arias), Vol. 2 2000
Otto Edelmann zum 85. Geburtstag
Otto Nicolai: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor 2002
Pavarotti, Freni and Ricciarelli Live 1994
Portraits: Marcella Pobbe 2003
Prima Voce Sampler 1994
Prima Voce: Hilde Güden 2008
Prima Voce: Leonard Warren 2007
Prima Voce: Ruffo 1990
Puccini: Madama Butterfly 2002
Puccini: Tosca
Pure Opera 2007
RCA Red Seal Century: The Vocalists 2001
Rare Records of Famous Tenors, Vol. 3 2007
Recital 1999
Rolando Panerai
Schubert, Auber, Mendelssohn and others... 1997
Singers of the Century
Song in My Heart 2007
Stars Of International Opera 1999
Stars of English Opera in the 1930s & '40s 1995
Stolen Notes: Verdi Arias & Duets 2006
Story Of Verdi In Words And Music 1993
The Art of the Verdi-Baritone
The Best of Verdi Operas 2005
The Cetra Recordings 1940-1943
The Complete Adelina Patti & Victor Maurel 1998
The Complete Gramophone And Pathe Recordings (1913-1921) 1997
The Complete Victor Recordings (1937-1947) 1999
The EMI Centenary Gala at Glyndebourne 1997
The EMI Record of Singing, Vol. 3 1926-1939 [Box Set] 1999
The Early Years 1956-1960
The Emperor Tibbett
The Era of Adelina Patti 1993
The First Recordings, 1940-1943 1999
The Golden Age of Singing, Volume One 1900 - 1910 2000
The Harold Wayne Collection, Vol. 15 1993
The Italian Vocal Tradition, Vol.1: The Voices of Toscanini (1921-1935)
The Life and Works of Giuseppe Verdi 2003
The Marchesi School
The Most Relaxing Opera Album in the World...Ever! 2005
The Most Unforgettable Verdi 1999
The RCA Victor Vocal Series 1989
The Rarities, Vol. 1 2003
The Symposium Opera Collection, Vol. 18: Titta Ruffo 2006
The Very Best of Glyndebourne on Record [Box Set] 2009
The Very Best of Thomas Hampson 2005
The Very Best of Tito Gobbi 2003
The Very Best of Verdi 2006
The Viennese Nightingale [Box Set] 2003
The Voice of Verdi 2002
Titta Ruffo
Titta Ruffo Edition
Titta Ruffo-Volume III
Titta Ruffo: The Best of His Favorites (1912-1929)
Toscanini: Maestro Furioso (Box Set)
Toscanini: Maestro Furioso, Disc 1
Toti Dal Monte- Recital
Toti Dal Monte: Duetti e arie d'opera 1993
Toti Dal Monte: The most famous recordings
Truly Domingo 2006
Twenty Great Bass Arias and Songs, Volume ll
Utopie: Vlaamse Opera Seizoen 2008-09 2008
Verdi Arias 2001
Verdi Celebration In English 2001
Verdi Galante: Arias from Verdi's late works 2003
Verdi without Words: Grand Opera for Orchestra 1995
Verdi, Bellini, Rossini and others
Verdi, Rossini, Ponchielli and others
Verdi: Aida; Falstaff; Un Ballo in Maschera, [Highlights] 1994
Verdi: Falstaff
Verdi: Falstaff (Highlights)
Verdi: Falstaff (Rehearsals 1950)
Verdi: Greatest Hits 1994
Verdi: Simon Boccanegra
Verdi: The Tenor Arias 2001
Verdi: The Tenor Arias, Vol. 4 2001
Verdi: Va Pensiero
Victor Maurel, the Baritone of the Late Verdi: His Original Fonotipia and G & T Recordings (1903-1907)
Victor Maurel, the Creator of the Roles of Falstaff and Iago: The Complete Recordings 1903-1907
Victor Maurel-The Baritone of the late Verdi
Vienna Opera Live, Vol. 10 1994
Viva Verdi!
Viva Verdi! A 100th Anniversary Celebration 2000
Voces Históricos del Teatro Real de Madrid 1997
Voci Verdiane
Vom Hamburger Stadttheater zur Hamburgischen Staatsoper 2003
Wie die Welt sie kannte
Ópera de la A a la Z 2000
