Falstaff was Verdi's last opera and his only comic opera. After the triumph of 'Otello' in 1887, who would have thought that Verdi and his librettist, Arrigo Boito, would not only repeat that triumph, but eclipse it.

As we know, Verdi was a great admirer of Shakespeare and had very successfully set the great Elizabethan playwright to music on previous occasions. Sir John Falstaff, a ficticious figure of fun, was a favourite character of Shakespeare, who crops up in Henry IV (parts 1 & 2); Henry V; and the Merry wives of Windsor. It is entirely possible that he was based on the real Sir John Oldcastle who fought in Scotland around 1400 and later in Wales and France in 1411. He was accused of heresy in 1413, escaped from the Tower of London and was hanged in 1417 - not a particularly pleasing biography. Shakespeare paid little attention to these facts as did Verdi (Here endeth the English history lesson!).

Before we go further, we should consider Boito's part in the creation of 'Falstaff.' He was a composer in his own right and in collaborating with Verdi once again, the pair of conspirators craftily drew out the best of each other. Before a note had been written, Verdi, in 1889, wrote to Boito, "In outlining 'Falstaff' did you never think of the enormous number of my years ... still, let's think it over ... then what a joy to be able to say to the public ... here we are again, Roll up!..."
        BOITO: "The fact is, that I never think of your age either when I'm talking to you or when I'm writing to you or when I'm working for you. The fault is yours."
        VERDI: "We'll write this 'Falstaff' then, we won't think for the moment of obstacles, or age, or illness."

And write it they did!!

While the emphasis of the opera is on Sir John Falstaff himself, a new way of depicting love also contributes to the level of the Opera. The characters Nannetta and Fenton are a representation of teenagers and I can easily recall my own teenage years. Teenagers the world over, particularly the male variety but only just, are hormones on feet!

The love of Nannetta and Fenton has a poetic character that is not without its playful nuances and from the first, Boito felt it essential to emphasise the importance of the love theme to Verdi: "This love between Nannetta and Fenton must appear frequently throughout the whole opera. In all their scenes, they are billing and cooing in corners, bold and sly at once, without being discovered, uttering fresh little phrases and short, witty, rapid, mischievous dialogues from beginning to end of the comedy. Theirs ought to be a very merry love, constantly disturbed and interrupted, but always ready to begin again."

The result was a series of miniature love duets scattered throughout the opera, always ending with a quotation from Boccaccio's 'Decameron', "Bocca bacciata non perde ventura / anzi rinnova come fa la luna." ("a mouth that is kissed does not lose fortune. It always returns, like the moon.")

The love theme is painted in tender pastel colours. It is a happy love, far from all tragedy, for Verdi here writes as an old man looking back on youth and love and it reaches it's zenith in Fenton's arietta in the magical and fantastic final scene set in Windsor Park. "Dal labbro il canto estasiato vola:"

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There are a few good recordings of 'Falstaff' that are available:

• DECCA 417 168 - 2 (2CD's) Evans; Simionato; Ligabue; Merrill; Freni; Kraus / Solti.
Solti's interpretation is the most vital of any in stereo. Geraint Evans practically owned the part in the 1960's & 70's.. Freni and Kraus as the young lovers are perfectly played.
• DEUTCHE GRAMMOPHON 471 194-2 (2 CD's) Terfel; Hampson; Shtoda / Abbado.
A celebrity laden cast but there is something lacking. Abbado produces a heavy syphonic account and Terfel sounds too young and tries too hard. Hampson is too lightweight for the role of Ford.
• PAPERBACK OPERA 20003 (2CD's) Taddei, Maletti, Carteri, Pagliughi / Rossi.
This is a 1949 broadcast recording and might not be easy to find. Taddei is in full voice and carries everything before him. His portrayal is probably the grandest and wittiest on record. However, the recording is uneven in terms of balance and placement.
• RCA 74321 72372 (2CD's) Valdendo; Guarrera; Nelli; Stitch-Randall / Toscanini.
Recorded in 1950, it has served as a point of reference for every succeeding conductor. The orchestral playing under Toscanini is fantastic and while the cast is weak, they have produced a performance that has become legendary despite a disappointingly poor sound quality.
• EMI CMS 5 67083-2 (2CD's). Gobbi; Panerai; Schwarzcopf; Moffo; Alva / Karajan.
This 1956 recording is the finest on the market. While Gobbi is less well equipped than many, everything about his performance lifts him well clear of his rivals. Moffo and Alva are a delightful pair of lovers. This is one of the greatest of all Verdi recordings.

 

The tenors that I have included for this beautiful little arietta are:

[01] Luigi Alva » listen to audio | 976 kb
[02] Ramon Vargas » listen to audio | 976 kb
[03] Ferruccio Tagliavini » listen to audio | 994 kb
[04] Robert D'Alessio » listen to audio | 816 kb
[05] Tito Schipa » listen to audio | 538 kb

NB: Audio has been removed in accordance with GT.com's policy on audio files.

I am disinclined to make comments on each voice or to award points because I like them all and I hope that members of Grandi-Tenori will share this enjoyment and let us know what they think. There are no ringing high notes or the taking of liberties. Each voice is true to Verdi's intentions in portraying this lovesick teenager and if I have to opt for a favourite, my choice would have to be Tagliavini. Verdi could have written this piece for him.

Acknowledgements:
Keith Shilcock for once again dipping into collection;
The Rough Guide to Opera - (Matthew Boyden);
Opera - (Andras Batta);
The complete works of Verdi (Charles Osborne);
Joern Anthonisen and his band of helpers for keeping G/T alive and well.

Extras: Grandi Tenori.com biographies:
- Tito Schipa