Guiseppe Verdi is best known for his middle and late period operas — “Rigoletto,” “La Traviata,” “Aida” — which are so famous as to have eclipsed the impressive work he churned out in his early years. Many of those works, however, have been revived with great success since World War II. Modern audiences seem famished for the dramatic lyricism that flowered in his younger years.
“Luisa Miller” never completely vanished from the repertoire. “Nabucco” remains famous for its Chorus of Hebrew Slaves, “Va, pensiero,” which is something like the unofficial national anthem of Italy. Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene and drinking song are staples of superstar sopranos. “Attila” was produced in Seattle last month and the Metropolitan Opera has a performance of “Ernani” that will be shown live in theaters nationwide, including Anchorage, at 12:55 p.m. on Feb. 25, repeating at 6:30 p.m. on March 14.
BARD BUSINESS
There are hundreds of operas written to plots from Shakespeare plays. Only a half-dozen or so get performed nowadays. The most popular, by far, are the three by Verdi, “Macbeth,” “Otello” and “Falstaff.”
SALVE, O MACBETTO DI SCOZIA RE!
Some of Shakespeare’s most quotable lines are featured in the opera, but in an Italian guise. You may recognize the above as the Witches’ greeting, “Hail, Macbeth, King of Scotland.” “Out, damn spot,” becomes “Una macchia e qui tuttora” (“Yet here’s a spot”). “Va’, cuoci e gorgoglia nel vaso infernal” (“Go, cook and gurgle in the infernal vessel”) approximates “Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and caldron bubble.”
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