He wasn't thrilled with the music of his younger colleagues, and for more than 10 years he didn't write a single, new opera. When Verdi was in his 60's, he seemed to lose enthusiasm. He lived from 1813 until 1901, and his operas spanned a period of nearly six decades. ![]() Verdi's career was not only amazingly successful, but also remarkably long. ![]() The other obvious candidates are all by Verdi: Macbeth, Falstaff and Otello. Charles Gounod's Romeo and Juliet is one, along with Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. While hundreds of operas have been based on Shakespeare's works, only a few might be called opera house staples. ![]() His dramas have turned up in a wide range of movies, and there are even comic book editions of Shakespeare's plays.Īstoundingly, though, Verdi's Shakespeare operas are musical oddities. There are Shakespeare-inspired rock tunes such as "Romeo and Juliet," by Dire Straits, and Elvis Costello's "Mystery Dance." Symphonic works based on Shakespeare have been composed by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Elgar, among others. After all, the influence of Shakespeare is widespread in just about every kind of entertainment imaginable. Verdi wrote his masterpiece Otello when he was in his mid 70's, around the same time this picture was taken.Īt first glance, it seems that Giuseppe Verdi's Shakespeare-based operas would have plenty of company in the world's theaters.
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