Verdi Falstaff

Falstaff Gabriel Bacquier · Karan Armstrong Richard Stilwell · Max-René Cosotti · John Lanigan Wiener Philharmoniker Georg Solti Directed by Götz Friedrich

“The whole world is a jest, man was born a great jester…” So goes the brilliant conclusion to Verdi’s Falstaff, an opera inspired by Shakespeare’s beloved comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor. The virtuosic score requires a particularly talented cast, not to mention a truly exceptional conductor. Herbert von Karajan perfectly fits the bill, and this performance featuring the Wiener Philharmoniker and an all-star group of singers is clearly worthy of Verdi’s powerful work, a masterpiece whose comic facade thinly veils the complex and sometimes even tragic characters’ struggles. Recorded in 1982. Re-released 2015.

Falstaff is Verdi’s masterpiece of comic opera, in which the behaviour of the ageing Sir John Falstaff, a devious freeloader and would-be ladykiller, causes uproar in the petty-bourgeois household of the Windsor’s. In this performance stage and film director Mario Martone updates the action to the present day and shows Falstaff as ageing rebel in dodgy sideburns and leather jacket.

Part of Tutto Verdi series - Falstaff (2011) Parma. 'Falstaff' is an opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). The libretto was adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' and scenes from 'Henry IV, parts 1 and 2'. The work premiered on 9 February 1893 at La Scala, Milan

This 2013 Salzburg Festival performance of Falstaff, Giuseppe Verdis late masterwork and crowning achievement, features conductor Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic. The staging thought up by Italian director Damiano Michieletto moves the action from a fictitious London to that special care home, the Casa Verdi, a place rich in memories of great days past and impressions of a real-time present. Ambrogio Maestri seems a tailor-made Falstaff. His physique is just right for the part, as are his powerful voice, flair for drama and feeling for the Verdi style. (New York Times)

Falstaff Gabriel Bacquier · Karan Armstrong Richard Stilwell · Max-René Cosotti · John Lanigan Wiener Philharmoniker Georg Solti Directed by Götz Friedrich

Ruggero Raimondi and Barbara Frittoli star in this 2006 production of the Verdi opera with Zubin Mehta conducting the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Giuseppe Verdi's last opera is given new life in this production by Luca Ronconi. Utilizing the sights and social conditions of modern Britain, this version of Shakespeare's THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR keeps the comedy accessible while still featuring all the elements that have made this opera a perennial favorite.

Shakespeare's colorful character Sir John Falstaff comes to life in this 1999 production of Verdi's opera at London's newly restored Royal Opera House. Graham Vick's rendition stars Bryn Terfel as Falstaff and Barbara Frittoli as Alice Ford. Conductor Bernard Haitink leads the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, and other players include Roberto Frontali, Kenneth Tarver, Robin Legatte and Peter Hoare.

FALSTAFF // Music by Giuseppe Verdi Comic opera in three acts Libretto by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV // ROLES Sir John Falstaff: LUCA SALSI Ford: VLADIMIR STOYANOV Fenton: MARCO CIAPONI Dottor Cajus: LUCA CASALIN Bardolfo: MARCELLO NARDIS Pistola: GRAZIANO DALLAVALLE Mrs. Alice Ford: SERENA GAMBERONI Nannetta: GIULIANA GIANFALDONI Mrs. Quickly: ROSSANA RINALDI Mrs. Meg Page: FLORENTINA SOARE Conductor: JORDI BERNÀCER Director: LEONARDO LIDI Set: EMANUELE SINISI