The Operas of Verdi: From Il Trovatore to La forza del destino

The Operas of Verdi #2

by Julian Budden

The three volumes of studies of Verdi's operas by Julian Budden are rightly classics of the genre. This is owing to their scope of information on the genesis, circumstances, variants, and specifics of the operas themselves--certainly the fullest description these works have ever been given--as well as to the wealth of surrounding information about the composer, his life, his friends, and his times. It is a measure of the excellence of Budden's achievement that this cornucopia of information is surveyed in very readable prose--readers get a picture of each work within its context. Budden's knowledge of 19th-century opera--both in Italy and in France--is wide-ranging, and he is able to place Verdi and his works in comparison with those of Donizetti, Pacini, Mercadante, and Meyerbeer. He discusses how the great operatic genius emerged from the background of early-19th-century opera and how Verdi's own early, uneven works blossomed into the glory of his later ones. Budden, thankfully, is not a hagiographer, and he recognizes Verdi's faults as well as his strengths, but few--if any--writers have managed to demonstrate how Verdi both blended in with his musical surroundings and stood out from them. These studies, with all their richness, are a good source of information about a host of lesser composers of the time. Budden includes many musical examples to highlight his writing in this, a work of scholarship of the highest order. --Patrick J. Smith

Genres: Music, Reference

532 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 1978

About the author

Julian Medforth Budden, BA, BMus, was a British opera scholar, radio producer and broadcaster. He is particularly known for his three volumes on the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, a single volume biography in 1982 and a single volume work on Giacomo Puccini and his operas in 2002.

Reviews

[Massimo Penazzi]

Imprescindibile per chiunque ami Verdi e, in generale, l'opera lirica e la sua storia.

[Sammy]

Monumental. Budden's first volume was interesting almost more from a historical standpoint, for operas that are less often performed and less foundational to the framework of what we think of as mature opera. This second volume really hits its stride with dense, lengthy chapters on each of Verdi's operas from his middle period.

One caveat: it's worth listening to and preferably viewing online a production of each opera before you begin. Budden doesn't tend to start with the plot and then work his way through; instead he prioritises history and the many changes made before giving us a thorough run-down of how the music and text combine on stage.

[Aaron]

Haven't read this one yet, but I will. It looks like I have more to learn about music before I can read and comprehend what this one will teach me.