Early Verdi Arias

Soprano arias from the time of Verdi’s notorious penchant for a pessimistic stylisation all his own, for doom-mongering, and for black humour…these were his “galley years”, as he described them. Verdi was the most successful Italian composer of his generation, was besieged with commissions, and toiled away to such an extent that his health was endangered. Lucia Aliberti presents twelve Verdi heroines. Each one is at a turning point, one dictated by fate. And each character senses all too well the need to show resolve in an extreme situation. Three of them (Giovanna, Lady Macbeth, and Elena) are not allowed to give vent to their feelings and display their wares at all costs in a cabaletta. But Verdi leaves ample room for this with the remaining nine. Cavatina and cabaletta – a dramatic model that can produce a plethora of arias and can bring forth countless variations. The Verdi that Lucia Aliberti interprets here is mainly a Verdi the world has not encountered up to now, and it soon becomes apparent – perhaps the degree of surprise is not so great – that the “unknown” Verdi is also a “Verdissimo”.