On 9 February 1893, the premiere of Falstaff was a tremendous success at Teatro alla Scala. After more than fifty years spent in setting dramas and torments of the human soul to music, Verdi greeted the world of opera with the worldly-wise smile of someone who had experienced everything to the fullest. Falstaff is the work of an amusing and amused Verdi; the score abounds in musical experimentation. As sung in the finale: ‘Tutto nel mondo è burla. L’uom è nato burlone.’ [‘Everything in the world is a jest. Man is born a jester.’] Baritone Nicola Alaimo stars as the caddish knight, gleefully tormented by a trio of clever women who deliver his comeuppance. Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts a fine ensemble cast directed by Sven-Eric Bechtolf. The result is a joyful production, with gorgeous costumes that seem to inspire those wearing them as much as they will delight OperaVision viewers.
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