Verdi
In his early operas, Verdi demonstrated a sympathy with the Risorgimento movement which sought the unification of Italy. He also participated briefly as an elected politician. The chorus "Va, pensiero" from his early opera Nabucco (1842), and similar choruses in later operas, were much in the spirit of the unification movement, and the composer himself became esteemed as a representative of these ideals. An intensely private person, Verdi, however, did not seek to ingratiate himself with popular movements and as he became professionally successful was able to reduce his operatic workload and sought to establish himself as a landowner in his native region. He surprised the musical world by returning, after his success with the opera Aida (1871), with three late masterpieces: his Requiem (1874), and the operas Otello (1887) and Falstaff (1893).
His operas remain extremely popular, especially the three peaks of his 'middle period': Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata, and the 2013 bicentenary of his birth was widely celebrated in broadcasts and performances.
Verdi
In his early ope...
VERDI Requiem
The 1929 World Première Recording
Studio recording, 1929
Total duration: 77:34
Maria Luisa Fanelli (soprano)
Irene Minghini-Cattaneo (mezzo-soprano)
Franco Lo Giudice (tenor)
Ezio Pinza (bass)
Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
conducted by Carlo Sabajno
VERDI Aïda
Studio recording, 1952
Total duration: 2hr 22:53
Renata Tebaldi - Aïda
Ebe Stignani - Amneris
Mario Del Monaco - Radamès
Aldo Protti - Amonasro
Dario Caselli - Ramphis
Fernando Corena - King Of Egypt
Piero de Palma - Messenger
Santa Cecilia Academy Chorus & Orchestra
conducted by Alberto Erede
THE MAGIC KEY OF RCA
Marian Anderson - contralto
José Iturbi - conductor, solo piano
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Charles O'Connell - conductor, arranger
Eugene Ormandy - conductor
Leopold Stokowski - conductor, arranger
Recorded 1937
Total duration: 59:36
VERDI Luisa Miller - Don Carlo - Un ballo in maschero -La forza del destino - Rigoletto excerpts
Live recording · 1943
Total duration: 64:14
Nan Merriman, mezzo-soprano
Jan Peerce, tenor
Frank Valentino, baritone
Nicola Moscona, bass
NBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Arturo Toscanini
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
DUKAS L’apprenti sorcier
Overtures and excerpts:
GLUCK Orfeo ed Eurydice
MENDELSSOHN A Midsummer Night’s Dream
ROSSINI Il barbiere di Siviglia
ROSSINI L’Italiana in Algeri
ROSSINI Semiramide
VERDI La traviata
Studio and Live recordings, 1926-36
Total duration: 2hr 24:19
Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Arturo Toscanini
VERDI Aïda
Live broadcast recording, 1949
Total duration: 2hr 15:43
Aïda – Herva Nelli
Amneris – Eva Gustavson
Radamès – Richard Tucker
Amonasro – Giuseppe Valdegno
Il Re (Pharoah) – Dennis Harbour
Ramfis – Norman Scott
Robert Shaw Chorale
directed by Robert Shaw
NBC Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Arturo Toscanini