One of my favorite composers would be 200 years old today if he were still alive. I first learned about Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) when I was a young girl, and PBS had a special on his operas that lasted a few weeks. I wasn’t permitted to watch TV during the week unless it was educational, so this was considered educational. :) I thoroughly enjoyed the series, and determined that one day I would go see one of his operas myself. Verdi remade a few of Shakespeare’s plays into operas- notably Otello, Macbeth, and his final piece, Falstaff. He was famous not only for his fabulous operas, but for ushering in a new era of Italian opera: from stilted scenes and stuffy composition to integration and high drama. He was also somewhat of an accidental political hero, as much of his work had been interpreted by Italian revolutionaries as pro-revolution. However, historians have concluded that the only truly political piece he produced was La battaglia di Legnano, giving the Risorgimento movement it’s own opera. My first of his operas was Macbeth, and I saw it in SoCal in the 90s. I have now seen several of his Operas, but my favorite is La Traviata, which is based upon stories inspired by Marie Duplessis (1824-1847). Marie was a famous French courtesan who was the muse and lover of Alexandre Dumas, fils, a French writer and playwright. He wrote a novel entitled La Dame aux Camelias, and play by the same name which inspired Verdi’s opera. Having started her journey as a courtesan at the tender age of 15, she died tragically of tuberculosis as a young woman of 23. In the above works, she is portrayed as a courtesan who falls in love with a young aristocrat, whose father beseeches her to leave him so as to not ruin his sister’s chance of a good marriage with the scandal of his son being involved with a courtesan. Marguerite (in the novel, Violetta in the opera), the courtesan character,dies of consumption and her young lover never knows the truth, believing that she left him until her death. This isn’t the true story of her life, but a beautiful portrayal of a woman who happens to be a courtesan. Marie did die of tuberculosis, with two of her most noble lovers by her side. Here is a scene from La Traviata, with Violetta played by Beverly Sills, probably my favorite. Following is a more modern performance by a phenomenal singer named Anna Netrebko. Please enjoy! And Happy Birthday to You, Giuseppe!!