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| Giuseppe Verdi |
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| Richard Wagner |
It marks a double bicentennials this year for two great opera composers. They are Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, both were born in 1813 with only five months apart. They are so influential in the world of opera that some of the melodies & tunes continue to play in people's life. Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian. He dominated the Italian opera after Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini. He was also a long-lived composer, quite well to do before he died. He was also unique in setting up a living space for the well-known retired opera singers. This is really rare as most composers struggle to make a living during their productive years. Richard Wagner was a German. He single-handed created German Opera, later called Music Opera. He not only composed music, but also wrote lyrics and story of the opera. His operas typically are long, intricate in plot and character. In contrast to Verdi, Wagner as a person was stingy, quarrelsome and hard to get along. He was not generous as Verdi and he thought most people owe him something because of his genius. However, his influence is enormous as he frequently is listed as the top 10 greatest composers in history. It is worth to note that Cosima, daughter of Liszt, wife of famous conductor Hans von Bulow, eloped with Wagner and spent a few years in Villa Tribschen near Lake Lucerne of Switzerland. Wagner got involved with revolutionary activities in 1848 and he had to leave the country to avoid being arrest. While I visited Lucerne in 1986, I took a one-mile walk from the lake to see Villa Tribschen. It was a nice and well-kept two-story building, a museum now opened to public. I saw a lot of his artifacts and manuscripts including Die Meistersinger which he completed in the villa. Wagner was fortunate that the mad king Ludwig II liked him so much that he financed most Wagner's activities including the Bayreuth Festival.
The following are some of the most popular arias and tunes in the world of opera from these two composers.
From Verdi:
La Donna e Mobile, Rigoretto
Libiamo, La Traviata
Follie, Sempre Libera ( Folly, Always Free), La Traviata
Grand March, Aida
Va, Pensiero, Nabucco
Questa o Quella, Rigoretto
From Wagner:
Bridal Chorus, Lohengrin
Ride of Valkyries, Die Walcure
Fest March, Tannhauser
Overture, Tannhauser
