Verdi

Summary

Dominique Pagani almost always discusses Verdi alongside Wagner: born the same year, 1813, he is tied to Italian unification as Wagner is to German unification, and his name forms the initials of Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy1. He claims that the two composers watch each other while pretending to ignore each other: the prelude to La Traviata comes before that of Lohengrin, and the love duet in Otello equals the one in Tristan2. He often comes back to Falstaff, the work of an old man that ends in a burst of laughter after tragic works. He sees it as Verdi's Meistersinger, the work where he goes furthest musically34. On Il Trovatore, he judges the librettos dreadful but the tragedy wholesome and popular, carried by a frenzy for living: pleasure and gaiety, without happiness5. He also notes that Verdi is popular in Italy, while in France he remains reserved for those who can pay. He further remarks that his characters burst onto the stage like a pistol shot.

1. 1The quest for the Grail, sanctimony or sacrilege?1 Apr 2024 · 1:13:08
2. 2#9.18 Twilight of the Gods, or from repetition to liberation3 Apr 2021 · 1:54:00
3. 3#9.18 Twilight of the Gods, or from repetition to liberation3 Apr 2021 · 25:57
4. 4#10.1 The eternal irony of the community22 Sept 2021 · 12:47
5. 5#8 Happiness and unhappiness in music11 Jan 2021 · 1:32:39

Summary produced automatically from 20 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.