Giuseppe Verdi
Ernani. Three rivals fight for Elvira's hand, but their obsessions and manipulations lead only to bitterness and death. Verdi drew the subject from Victor Hugo, whose playi
Annelies Andries
Aesthetic ideals and nineteenth-century censorship in the world of theater and opera
Love, honor, revenge: passions run high in Giuseppe Verdi's first international hit, Ernani. Three rivals fight for Elvira's hand, but their obsessions and manipulations lead only to bitterness and death. Verdi drew the subject from Victor Hugo, whose playHernani sparked a veritable aesthetic battle in 1830 over the legitimacy of Romantic theater. Based on the heated debates in the theater and opera world of that time, Annelies Andries shows how aesthetic ideals clashed with the practical requirements of an opera production. Censorship forbade certain political subjects, singers demanded that their voices shine, and the opera house wanted a hit. Finally, the listening guide illustrates how Verdi refined his dramaturgical and musical vision, laying the groundwork for his lasting popularity in the opera world. Ernani. Three rivals fight for Elvira's hand, but their obsessions and manipulations lead only to bitterness and death. Verdi drew the subject from Victor Hugo, whose playi € 12.50, ISBN 9789462703490, paperback, 80 p., Operatheek, e-book available
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