Around Milan with Giuseppe Verdi (preview)

The author and publisher wish to express their grateful thanks to Mrs Mirella Freni for her kind support and for contributing the foreword. They also thank Mr G. Paolo Zeccara and Mr Ian Flint for their collaboration.

This book was made possible by the study of documents and pictures held in various private collections. The author offers grateful thanks to the owners of these collections who have granted her access to these materials and given authorization for publication.

This book is published with the support of CIDIM – Italian National Music Council and Fondazione Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi.

CIDIM - Italian National Music Council Via della Trinità dei Pellegrini, 19 - 00186 Rome - Italy infocidim@cidim.it www.cidim.it Fondazione Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi Via Clerici, 3 - 20121 Milan - Italy segreteria@laverdi.org www.laverdi.org A special thanks to Mr Luigi Corbani for his support and Mr Francescantonio Pollice for his assistance.

Publishing Director: Laura Moro Text Editor: Ian Flint Layout: G. Paolo Zeccara Cover: Studio Scuola by Gabriele Clima CD track list: G. Paolo Zeccara Picture p. 162 © Wolfgang Jargstorff - Fotolia.com This book © 2013 by Edizioni Curci S.r.l. - Milano - Galleria del Corso, 4 - 20122 Milano Worldwide rights reserved Printed in Italy, in July 2013, by Grafitalia Industrie Grafiche S.r.l.

Via R. Sanzio, 9 - Reggio Emilia - Italy

EC 30006/ISBN: 9788863951448

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Index

Foreword by Mirella Freni 5 Milan at the time of Giuseppe Verdi 1800-1840 11 1840-1850 33 1850-1860 75 1860-1870 85 1870-1880 95 1880-1890 107 1890-1900 121 Giuseppe Verdi and Milan Arrival in Milan 18th June 1840 9th March 1842 11th February 1843 Spring 1844 Between 1844 and 1845 1846. Between rest and work 1847. The turning-point 1848. Verdi and the Risorgimento 1850-1860. The Popular Trilogy 1860-1870. The Patriot and Russia 1870-1880. The return to Milan 1880-1890. Return to La Scala 1890-1901. And at the end, a smile

25 45 49 51 55 57 61 65 69 81 93 103 115 131

City Centre Pedestrian Routes Pedestrian Route A Pedestrian Route B Pedestrian Route C Pedestrian Route D

139 140 152 160 172

People 177 CD track list 192 Proprietà esclusiva per tutti i Paesi: EDIZIONI CURCI S.r.l. – Galleria del Corso, 4 – 20122 Milano © 2013 by EDIZIONI CURCI S.r.l. – Tutti i diritti sono riservati

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Foreword

My first memory of Milan was a long time ago at the Piccola Scala, the “minor” stage, next to the main one, where I took my first steps as a soprano and which usually housed smaller productions in a more intimate environment. This is where I was supposed to debut in Handel’s Xerxes. During the rehearsals, at four in the afternoon, I got a call from “Grande Scala”. The soprano who was singing Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff had fallen ill. At 8pm the curtain would go up; there was no time to lose.

I had sung the part a few weeks earlier at Covent Garden in London and so, without having time to think, in December 1961, at 26 years old, I found myself thrust onto the most important stage in Italy. And to sing Verdi! Antonino Votto was the conductor. I remember that the prompter gave me some pointers on how to move because there was no time for rehearsals, just a little time to find a costume. Such was my baptism in Milan, without fear, almost unconscious.

A year later came the season of my debut in Puccini’s La Bohème conducted by Karajan. I had never met him before, but his name was already a legend. For him it was vital that the protagonists had figures suitable for the characters they were playing. At that time I was slim and young, ideal for the role of Mimi. We both realized it right away; we didn’t even need to talk.

But my relationship with La Scala continued throughout my career.

I sang a variety of operas: Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, Otello, Don Carlo, Ernani, and operas by Puccini, Donizetti, Cilea, until my last opera at La Scala, Giordano’s Fedora, in 1996. Milan has an educated and demanding audience, very passionate in following its operatic darlings.

In Milan I have spent many happy days of my life. Along with my partner, Nicolai Ghiaurov, we took an apartment in Piazza San Babila.

Today I enjoy teaching young singers at the Accademia della Scala, where I was invited to work three years ago by the director, my great colleague Leyla Gencer.

My love for Milan first started when I was still a little girl at junior high school. After the war we were following Modena, my city’s football team.

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One day our group of friends decided it was time to choose a Serie A club at random, so we put cards with the names of different teams in a basket. I drew that of Milan and ever since then I have been a fanatical supporter. I can’t say that I’m a Milanese, but a Milanista, yes!

I wholeheartedly welcome this book by Giancarla Moscatelli, celebrating the great love story between Milan and Giuseppe Verdi.

These pages tell about biographical and artistic events of the maestro from Busseto during the years he spent in Milan, and at the same time describe the events and the evolution of the city. A passionate tale, chronicling the shared destiny that united forever a composer to a people, a career to a theatre, a man to his homeland.

Mirella Freni

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1832 - 1840

This story begins at the end. On a chilly winter evening. Milan, 27th January 1901. In Via Manzoni, in his hotel room, a man was dying.

Muffled noises reverberated around the streets. Nothing must intrude on his last sleep. The coaches crept along slowly. Pedestrians trudged by, speaking only in the most hushed tones. The normal clamour of the great industrial city was virtually extinguished, not just by deep emotion, but by the tons of straw that had been spread on the pavements so as not to disturb the dying hero.

No-one had ever seen such a thing. The frantic pace of the metropolis was stilled, because this was one of those moments where you have to be able to stop. Not to succumb to the grief or the resignation. You stop to demonstrate a natural, spontaneous gratitude towards a man who with his art forged like no other the popular and cultural identity of a city. Milan was virtually silent for six days.

The man died.

No triumphant funeral was planned. He had dictated his exact intentions. He wanted to take his leave without making any noise. No music, no display, almost wanting to deny himself and the life he had lived. Or, perhaps, to give both a larger meaning.

The city accepted the request for simplicity from this man, but couldn’t bear to leave him alone before his death.

The soul of Milan went down into the streets.

These were his people.

One hundred thousand people joined the queue behind the coffin that advanced painfully slowly through the city streets. One hundred thousand people, brought together in a cortège of sadness and pride, from which hardly a sound emanated. One hundred thousand people publicly marking the consecration of a man, an artist, a Milanese, one of them. A special ceremony where no word needed to be uttered.

The story begins in silence.

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1800 - 1840

1800 - 1840 1802 - Milan was dominated by the French under their Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who proclaimed the Republic of Italy.

1805 - The Italian Republic became the Kingdom of Italy.

1808 - Official opening of the Conservatory of Music, founded as a result of the reforms introduced by Napoleon.

1812 - Conscription was introduced in Milan, to support Napoleon’s Russian campaign. This ended in a bloodbath, and the loss of so many loved ones sparked the anger of a city already hit by excessive taxes imposed by the Finance Minister Giuseppe Prina to swell the private coffers of the Emperor.

The arches of Porta Nuova towards the end of the 18th century.

In the early 1800’s the city was rich in architectural remains of previous centuries.

1814, 20th April - During a day of heavy rain the Milanese “revolt of umbrellas” broke out, when Prina was beaten up, stabbed with umbrellas and thrown through a window. This paved the way for the Austrians to resume control of the city a few days later.

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THE CITY At the beginning of the nineteenth century about 135,000 people lived in Milan, almost all inside the “cerchia dei bastioni”, that part of the city within the Spanish walls. The numbering of the houses radiated out from the Royal Palace to the main gates in a clockwise direction. The darkness of night was scarcely relieved by feeble oil lamps.

The great palaces of noble families rubbed shoulders with the ancient Roman ruins and melded into a totally unique urban landscape. Foreign travellers were often surprised at how deserted the well-paved roads were.

People divided their time between the shops and the fields outside the city, but time for leisure was not an option for craftsmen and farmers. For the nobility things were very different.

To the right of this print is the Caffè di Cecchina, frequented by Every evening they invaded the Corsia artists, academics and the singers dei Servi with their coaches and their of La Scala who ordered just water, gossip. hence its nickname “the firemen’s Apart from cloisters and palace café”. gardens, the city did not seem to offer particular tourist attractions. Foreigners considered the Duomo (cathedral) almost tacky, while the castle, at that time in ruins, was used as a warehouse and a prison, notable only for its sheer size. Nonetheless, the city remained a commercial and cultural crossroads of international stature.

ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT Milan’s reputation as a restless commercial powerhouse is not just a recent phenomenon. In 1823 a bank was established that would make a major 12

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contribution to the city’s history: the Cassa di Risparmio delle Province Lombarde. Its headquarters were in the premises of the Congregazione Centrale della Lombardia and it was open two days a week for deposits and two days for payments. The savings accounts were free of charge and could be registered in a specific name or, strangely, in a false name.

With the funds raised from deposits, “Cariplo” could lend at sustainable interest rates, especially to landowners, encouraging the development of the region’s economy. For those who could not cope with debts, there was the pawnshop.

From the point of view of urban planning, the city was divided into two zones: one within the Spanish walls and another outside, called “dei Corpi Santi”. This was a belt, ranging from two to four kilometres wide, which In the early nineteenth century consisted predominantly of pasture the cathedral was not yet finished. land, small farms and several cemeteries, The façade was temporary, many spires had not yet been built and mostly owned by church authorities. there was a bell tower.

During the Napoleonic domination the Foro Bonaparte, the Arena and the Arco della Pace were built. In 1832 the Galleria De Cristoforis opened, named by the Milanese “Contrada de veder” (glass road) because it was totally covered by glass. It housed confectioners, antique dealers and fashionable clothes shops.

LIFE AND SOCIETY In Milan people woke up early, after a dark and silent night, at least until 1835, when the nightly street cleaning and sweeping service came into operation. At the first light of dawn, artisans and farmers were already at work in their shops, fields and cattle sheds.

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In April 1836 a severe cholera epidemic gripped the city, fuelled by poor hygiene conditions and by the lack of a sewerage system. In about five months 1500 people died. The manure that was used as fertilizer was kept in the cellars of many houses, close to the vegetable gardens and the fields. This produced acrid and nauseating smoke that emanated through the windows at street level.

Stray dogs and cats pursued the ever-present mice. Toilets existed only in noblemen’s houses, and even then not in all of them. The sewage was discharged into the street through ducts that ended with a big mask, the “boffacrusca”. To disguise and minimize the effects of this, people mixed the waste water with bran or other scraps of grain, which had the same function as today’s sawdust. The city would have to wait until 1816 to have open drains, The interior of the Galleria De Cristoforis in a picture from the when the first gutters were built. Until end of the nineteenth century. then, rainy days were really hazardous, Even in its last years it remained at especially for ladies, having to dodge the cutting edge of modernity by puddles and sudden showers from the housing one of the first cinemas. roofs.

In those years Milan was already a two-speed metropolis. There was the city of the ordinary people, of the Duomo, in whose churchyard a thriving black market was run by “people of ill repute”. Food could not be preserved; water had to be drawn from a well in the courtyard; clothes had to be washed in the Naviglio or other waterways that surrounded the city. People had to light and maintain fires in their kitchens, collect firewood, cultivate vegetables to prepare their meals, or buy them at the market.

Then there was the elegant city that woke up late in the morning, with 14

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men in top hats strolling in the parks with elaborately dressed ladies.

On the street one could encounter Austrian officers in civilian dress or uniform, and students of the Conservatory, also in uniform. Nobles’ days began late and trailed on long into the evening, interspersed with extended toilet preparations and the organisation of daily receptions.

At home people entertained themselves by playing “biribis”, a sort of roulette played with cards, but they also spoke of politics and culture in the lounges of a hospitable and cosmopolitan aristocracy that flourished in every corner of the city.

People could converse, play music, have lunch or dinner together, and in general enjoy a shared space, virtually free from the risk of being reported for conspiring against the government.

The poet Giacomo Leopardi was in Giacomo Leopardi, visiting Milan, Milan at that time and described it as said it was like “a little Paris”, full “a little Paris”. The growing taste for of cultural and entertainment little luxuries stimulated a growth in opportunities. the number of cafés and patisseries, and the “gioco del lotto” (bingo) underwent a sharp upturn in interest.

MUSIC, THEATRE AND CULTURE The nineteenth century was a time of great and ever-expanding cultural vitality in Milan. Many theatres were opened, offering all kinds of entertainment: operas, comedies, dramas, dialect plays, puppet shows.

The city squares became the stage for countless street performers.

In 1800 the Teatro Filodrammatici opened, followed in 1803 by the Teatro Carcano e il Lentasio. The Teatro alla Scala (La Scala) had just undergone a major external cleanup, achieved by blasting Proprietà esclusiva per tutti i Paesi: EDIZIONI CURCI S.r.l. – Galleria del Corso, 4 – 20122 Milano © 2013 by EDIZIONI CURCI S.r.l. – Tutti i diritti sono riservati

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it with a vast amount of breadcrumbs, supplied by a local baker. La Scala was the prime meeting place for the nobility, and increasingly also for the growing middle class. The most common greeting was “see you at La Scala”.

But it was a very different theatre from the one we know today, especially in the way the public behaved. The hall was generally dimly lit; there were only small candles in the first two rows of the boxes and on the stage. The audience was barely illuminated by a huge crystal chandelier with candles that was lowered majestically from a large hole in the ceiling. Once in place, it was greeted by sighs of astonishment and applause from the audience. For obvious reasons, it remained lit throughout the performance.

Each box had a silk curtain, which The church of Santa Maria alla Scala, built in 1381 by Maria della formed a canopy and could be lowered Scala, wife of Bernabò Visconti. In when people dined. During shows and 1776 it was demolished to make at special events, such as parties, people room for the Teatro alla Scala, built to replace the Teatro Regio Ducale, sitting in the boxes brought food from which was destroyed by a fire dur- home and cooked it on site, or ordered ing the same year. their meal from one of the theatre’s trattorias to eat it on the spot. The chronicles of the time tell of the awful stench of foods (cabbage, sausages and various dips) that stank out the theatre before, during and after the shows.

The ladies were accompanied by the “cicisbeo”, a kind of shortterm consort, a hangover from eighteenth-century customs. The boxes were perfect dens for clandestine meetings, and some of the activities conducted behind the protection of the curtain probably left little to the imagination. In the area at the back of each box there was the cloakroom, 16

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a small space for cooking and the “toilet” area. The method was simple: people used the “cànteri” (vessels), such as those used at night-time, which were then emptied by the “palchettisti” (servants of the boxes), directly down into Contrada San Giuseppe. People could listen to music not only in the theatre. Churches were also venues, especially for sacred music. In Milan it was possible to hear renowned organists performing on outstanding, visually beautiful instruments. Also the technique of ringing church bells had been elevated into an art form.

EATING IN MILAN Lunch and dinner for the nobility were among the most important parts of the day. They were opportunities for conviviality, for getting bargains and for exchanging political ideas. Usually people met in mid-afternoon. Banquets The Santa Radegonda theatre. were often lavish, featuring meat, game, There were many halls in Milan polenta and rice, washed down with that offered all sorts of entertainoperas, comedy, drama, diawine. The progress of recent years meant ment: lect theatre. that their bread could now be served with olive oil, replacing the dense and indigestible flaxseed or rapeseed oil.

The term “restaurant” was unknown. The nobles dined in their palaces, while the rest of the population had inns and taverns and “trani” (named after a town in Puglia known for strong red wine), which were mainly drinking haunts; the regulars were called “tranatt”.

People went also to the “piole” (meaning ‘meeting place’ in the Piedmont dialect) where one could also eat. At the time of Carlo Porta, the Milanese dialect poet, people spoke about “boecc”, (hole). The most famous downtown inns and taverns were Il Falcone, I tre re, Il Rebecchino in Piazza del Duomo and Il Bissone.

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Or people could eat in the dining rooms of inns and hotels. The rooms were illuminated by tallow candles. Their soot, according to contemporary accounts, “rained into soups”.

The regulars ate the traditional Lombardy dishes: “minestrone” (vegetable soup) with rice, “casoeula” (a stew of pork and sausages), “nervitt” (diced calf’s tendons and meat) with onions.

The social divide within the city was also evident at food level. Popular cuisine was poor: rye bread, a dish of soup with cabbage and beans, accompanied by a handful of rice. Meat was eaten infrequently, when there were leftovers that could be made into “mondeghili” (from the Spanish “mondeguillos”), the Milanese meatballs.

The Milanese cuisine in general was born out of poverty, based on Food stores. Some of the many travelling food vendors (selling the resources of the territory (pork, polenta, fish, tripe, chestnuts etc) vegetables, rice), a little heavy, but very managed to open their own shops. tasty.

FREE TIME Apart from theatre and walks, spare time was spent on very simple activities: playing cards, making conversation at the café, reading. This last activity, economically beneficial for those who could afford it, was also a source of great pleasure. The writer of the moment was Alessandro Manzoni with his novel I promessi sposi of 1827, but foreign authors were also read, together with the inevitable patriotic propaganda, political publications and scientific-literary periodicals.

For the ladies, who normally read slightly less than men, the main pastime was embroidery, accompanied by friendly and amusing 18

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conversation and a cup of tea. They managed charity organizations and supervised the proper execution of all the housework, giving employment to a large number of women and men from the less privileged classes.

In nobles’ homes, in fact, there were servants, cooks, butlers, nannies, domestics (men and women) who washed, ironed, cooked, drove the coaches, looked after the horses and took care of home maintenance.

FASHION AND COSTUME Milan has always, at least in the higher echelons of society, prided itself on being a city of elegance and style. In the early 1800’s, the long skirt was de rigueur for ladies, upholstered with crinoline underneath, but it was not so wide as in the previous century.

Hats were very fashionable, adorned with large ostrich and other birds’ At nightfall the “lampadee” feathers, and fabric reproductions of turned on the oil lamps in the fruits and flowers. Hairstyles were main streets of the city. elaborate, with the hair gathered and embellished with combs and pins. A large stole covered the otherwise bare shoulders, but often ladies wore short jackets narrowed at the waist with wide shoulders.

Men would sport a three-quarter jacket with waistcoat and white shirt, enhanced by a soft bow tie fashioned out of a long silk scarf, and the obligatory hat.

In winter men wore coats with big fur sleeves while women were dressed very lightly and went out from their heated homes into the chilly streets covered only with a large shawl. However, they did at least have some protection against the cold: hidden in the ample folds of their sleeves was a very effective brass warmer.

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Women of the lower social orders wore more sober clothes, with wide sleeves, no crinoline skirts, often with an apron knotted at the waist. Hair was collected in a simple style and often covered by a bonnet or small headscarf. The men wore shirts with waistcoats and long jackets, much less refined than those of nobles. Silk, satin, velvet, wool, hemp and cotton were the most common fabrics.

The men’s fashion required beards and moustaches, although in due course there was something of a social crusade against facial hair, as it was deemed to be reminiscent of vagrants.

Smoking also became an object of social opprobrium. The society was very closed; arranged marriages were the norm. Any attempted union across a social divide was frowned upon, and could cause a scandal.

Milanese high society women.

Nevertheless, there were many reLadies’clothing still featured many elements of the past century, such marriages, predominantly among the as large crinolines under their wealthy classes. A marriage imposed skirts and elaborate hairstyles. for socio-economic or status reasons often dissolved in divorce, followed by a new marriage to a freely chosen partner. The fate of the common people, mercilessly narrated in the folk song of the time, was quite different, beset by difficulties, warring families, premature deaths, poverty, loneliness and marginalization.

TRAVEL AND HOLIDAY Although the road network was fairly well-developed, it consisted mainly of dirt roads or cobbled streets, difficult to navigate, especially during the winter season. Going to and from work was the main 20

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reason for travel, often the only reason. Journies were made on foot or, for those who could afford, on horseback. Many citizens, even if they were not noble, possessed a carriage or a small wagon, which was often propelled by walking youngsters according to English and French custom. Most people, however, had never seen another city.

Within the city walls people travelled on foot, by their own horsedrawn carriage, or by the public carriage service initiated during the Napoleonic era, although this latter method was notoriously slow.

All goods, however, travelled on wagons pulled by horses or mules, or on barges that slipped slowly along the Navigli and the other canals. The roads that were not paved were dusty and soiled with horse manure, but the municipality was already working The stagecoach to Abbiategrasso. on the new ring road running around This was the transport system par excellence and the coaches servthe city. the outlying villages or Brianza Holidays were of course only ing had two floors, with ample space for the richest people. Favoured for luggage. destinations were Brianza and Varese.

People stayed beside the lakes or in the hills, where they sauntered around with their entourages.

Walks, short hikes and outdoor games were the pastimes of the Milanese on vacation. For the children who were not born into the nobility, the only summer relief was swimming in the Navigli or the many other canals that surrounded the city.

Their parents didn’t even have that diversion: they were too busy working.

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FROM THE NEWSPAPERS The press was full of news about inventions that would revolutionize daily life. In 1834 a prime topic was the electric telegraph invented by Gauss, which utilized Morse Code. In 1837 the second Italian railway opened, connecting Monza to Milan.

In 1838 the Museum of Natural History opened, at first in the house of its founder, Giuseppe De Cristoforis, who died prematurely.

Meanwhile in 1818 John Meiners and his son opened a shop that sold books, printed music and maps. They also rented books out, the “Circulating The “velocimano”. It was an unusal vehi- Library Meiners”, and this cle, propelled by the mechanical move- became the mainstay of Meiners’ ment of its arms, invented by Gaetano business and would continue Brianza. until the Second World War when, unable to leave their homes because of the curfews, people took to reading as one of their main activities.

In 1821 the dialect poet Carlo Porta died. He was the author of the famous La Ninetta del Verzee, a ballad in which its protagonist tells, with raw realism, about how she became a prostitute. It was a morality tale showing what life was like for many girls. In 1828 another important writer died: Vincenzo Monti.

The 1800’s were the century of the lira. Introduced in 1793 and modelled on the French currency system, it would see Milan and Italy through for more than two centuries until the advent of the Euro in the new millennium.

In 1838 a young ‘star’ of the musical world passed through Milan.

All the salons were buzzing with excitement and the ladies were besotted by him. He was Franz Liszt: composer, pianist and conductor.

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He was in the city to give a series of concerts – that the chronicles of the time would hail as truly legendary – and to attend the most important salons of the nobility, not only as a guest, but also to secure some private performances for which, people said, he was paid extremely handsomely.

In 1839 a young composer from Busseto made his debut at La Scala with his opera Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio. His name was Giuseppe Verdi.

Franz Liszt, in a picture of about 1830. The Hungarian pianist was the idol of the salons and especially of the ladies, who doted on him.

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1832 - 1840

Arrival in Milan The man looked at the city from the window of the carriage, laden with suitcases and bundles. It carried him slowly, jolting through the winding streets of downtown. He was thinking and reminiscing. Milan, for him, was nothing new. He had arrived seven years earlier, in 1832, to study at the Conservatoire. His attempt at the entry examination, however, was very disappointing and the rejection was difficult to accept, even if the reasons were at least partially justified: he was too old according to the regulations of Verdi at the time of his first stay in the Conservatoire, his playing was not Milan. He lived in Contrada Santa totally impeccable and there were very Marta with his family. few places for paying students. So, no On the opposite page: the Conservatory of Music in Milan.

Conservatoire, but he didn’t leave Milan. In 1832 Verdi auditioned to Instead he found alternative ways to become a student, but he was pursue his studies, and he subsequently rejected. came back on his honeymoon. But this time things were different.

Today was not just a return, but a new beginning: right now, as the carriage stopped at the door of Via Santa Marta 3398, the young man was coming to Milan to stay. He brought his wife Margherita Barezzi and his son Icilio, who was less than a year old. There was no Virginia, the eldest, who had died tragically a month after the birth of her brother, struck down by one of those strange fevers which doctors can name but not find a cure.

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The man got out of the car and greeted the landlord, Mr. Seletti, who was waiting for him impatiently. So here officially began the story that would inextricably link Giuseppe Verdi’s life to the city of Milan. It was the evening of 6th February 1839.

Verdi’s family began to settle into the apartment of Giuseppe Seletti, who was in fact the grandson of a professor of grammar at Busseto High School where Verdi had studied.

For Margherita, busy unpacking while looking after Icilio in the cradle, it was difficult not to think of Virginia.

Amid all the hopes and fears of this arrival in Milan, Virginia was all that was missing to complete the picture of a family about to face a future for which they had strived for a long time.

Margherita was the daughter of Antonio Barezzi, a key figure in the La Scala as seen from Corsia Santa Margherita. Works by Donizetti musical education of her husband and Mercadante were on the bill at Giuseppe, who had unwittingly created the time of Verdi’s arrival in Milan. the right environment for the two youngsters to fall in love, decide to get married and move to Milan. It was of course the city of La Scala, where a new star had emerged in the opera world: the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi.

Verdi began as an organist. He worked as an accompanist, and he also wrote sacred music. Then there were the “academies”, which were musical evenings where he performed as a pianist, playing standard repertoire pieces and his own compositions. Giuseppe was a very quick learner but he understood that this natural facility was in itself not enough. Study was also essential. To do it with due seriousness he had to go to Milan, and for that he needed money, a great deal of it.

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1832 - 1840

In this respect Verdi was lucky. He was able to obtain the money he needed, not from his family, who were eking out a day-to-day existence by running a small tavern and adjoining food shop. Instead, his benefactor in this first adventure in Milan was Antonio Barezzi, the father of Margherita.

So here he was in Milan, in the same rooms that he would later occupy with his wife and infant son. He studied, composed and looked for work, because somehow he had to survive. He tried at Monza, presenting himself as Kapellmeister. But they didn’t give him the job, which made him realise that the time was not yet ripe. So he went back to Busseto, commuting to Milan not only for studying, but also to mingle in the influential echelons of society. He had already met several important people including Pietro Masini, (or Massini), who provided him with a libretto. This The house of Antonio Barezzi in was propitious because writing music Busseto. The entrepreneur was a for the theatre was exactly what Verdi great supporter of Verd and fundhis studies in Milan. Father of wanted to do. When Giuseppe came ed Margherita, he gave significant help before the Conservatoire committee, to the young married couple in the he had already written some romances, early stages of their lives in the city. a nocturne and three choruses from Il conte di Carmagnola by Alessandro Manzoni.

The libretto Massini gave to Verdi was Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio, written by Antonio Piazza, a government employee with a passion for poetry. Verdi wrote the music from 1835 to 1836, and in a letter of 16th September announced to Massini that he had finished. It was just a coincidence, but this was a significant date. That day also saw the funeral of Vincenzo Lavigna, Verdi’s former composition teacher, who had died of cholera. Verdi did not attend the funeral, and this, as far as we know, Proprietà esclusiva per tutti i Paesi: EDIZIONI CURCI S.r.l. – Galleria del Corso, 4 – 20122 Milano © 2013 by EDIZIONI CURCI S.r.l. – Tutti i diritti sono riservati

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was the first public expression of a particular facet of his personality. His absence was not due to insensitivity. It was simply that he was working and could not allow any distractions, not even for such humanitarian reasons.

Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio was thus finished, but it would be three long years before the work made it to the stage. This would eventually happen in 1839, a year that would mark a major turning point in his life.

It had been only seven months since Verdi arrived in the Santa Marta district.

The family moved into Contrada San Simone 3072, now Via Cesare Correnti.

They had little money and they were only able to carry on thanks to Barezzi.

But it seemed to be a good year. At La Scala, during the spring season, in which Verdi was hoping to find an opportunity for his opera, a new singer, the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi, Cover page of the vocal score of Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio, made her successful debut. At the Milan 1840. same time there was also a student of Giuditta Pasta, one of the most important opera singers. So it seemed that great things could be on the horizon. But for now, nothing was concrete.

Everything seemed cloaked in a rather torpid calm.

However, Verdi’s life was about to change irrevocably, due to the woman around whom, consciously or otherwise, the very meaning of his life would revolve. He had no idea of this as he walked one afternoon towards the home of the afore-mentioned rising star Giuseppina Strepponi.

She was a model pupil of the Conservatoire, but her colourful life also gave rise to considerable gossip, with its mix of fleeting affairs, more stable relationships and at least one child put up for adoption.

As the young composer walked towards her house, almost counting each step, he felt considerable trepidation at the prospect of meeting such 28

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a celebrated singer, as if he were about to go through the gates of hell rather than the door of an ordinary house. As he approached, he thought about this fabled city of Milan, whose doors still didn’t seem to be opening for him. More than a city, it seemed to him a chimera, continuing to lure and entice him but at the same time rejecting him. When he encountered the singer, however, everything changed for him, perhaps even the very essence of the city.

After the introductory pleasantries, which Verdi needed in order to relax, he sat down to play the score. Giuseppina was immediately captivated by the melodies. She was not the only one.

Bartolomeo Merelli, the impresario of La Scala, was also impressed and agreed to put the work on the schedule following the fervent recommendation of the singer. This would not be immediately, but during the autumn.

Giuditta Pasta, one of the favour Finally things seemed to be taking ites of Donizetti and Bellini, retired shape. Verdi could afford to look up from the stage in 1837. One of her students, Adelaide Kemble, when walking down the Corsia dei Servi best was among the female stars of towards La Scala. He began to see his La Scala by 1839, together with dreams coming to fruition. Everything Giuseppina Strepponi. now seemed less grey to him. The shop windows, for example, now seemed truly wonderful. Why had he never stopped to look at them? And the buildings? Whereas previously they seemed to be beasts mocking him, now maybe they were smiling...

The first performance of Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio was fast approaching. But in the meantime tragedy struck. Once again Verdi had to deal with death. On 22nd October 1839, Icilio died.

This left Verdi totally stricken. He bore this unspeakable pain almost calmly on the surface, finding an outlet for his emotions Proprietà esclusiva per tutti i Paesi: EDIZIONI CURCI S.r.l. – Galleria del Corso, 4 – 20122 Milano © 2013 by EDIZIONI CURCI S.r.l. – Tutti i diritti sono riservati

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in music, in Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio. Verdi was by no means heartless, but he realised that no amount of grief or torment would revive his son. However, to neglect Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio would cause an irreparable breach with Milan and effectively shatter all his musical ambitions.

Then came the opening night at La Scala, on November 17th. The elegant opera patrons were full of expectation and curiosity. But Margherita wasn’t there. She didn’t feel able to face all the splendour and hubbub; the pain was still too acute.

The music started, the first singers were on stage and everything seemed to be going according to plan. Verdi and his brother Giovanni rushed headlong between acts to give the news to Margherita.

At the end of the performance, the Verdi cultivated a sincere friendship with Pietro Massini, founder maestro concealed his satisfaction and of the Academy of Amateurs. kept a low profile with Margherita.

Massini was a great benefactor He told her that everything indeed and supporter of Verdi. went well and the result was quite good, although he could have hoped for something even better. This latter may have been a valid observation, but Verdi also had a habit of being self-critical, rightly or wrongly. Verdi’s words do not change the significance of that performance at La Scala; thanks to Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio, Verdi secured his rite of passage to the music world, to Milan, to glory. Yet he knew how things worked: every time he went out he overheard the conversations in the cafés near La Scala, especially the Caffè della Cecchina, which was frequented by musicians, poets and singers. Today’s stars can so easily fade into oblivion. So now, after Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio, his attention redoubled: people could be 30

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talking about him. He confided his anxieties to Massini, to whom he wrote often, while Margherita sat next to him or played the piano.

The relationship with Massini was a mixture of friendship – certainly more so from Verdi’s side – and respect for a protector, a supporter, but especially for a person who had full confidence in the young maestro.

Margherita remained in the background, consumed by her personal grief. She was a model wife, giving nothing away about her role in her husband’s activities. Friend, counsellor, muse, no one knew. It remained a secret between her and Giuseppe.

In the café in front of La Scala people congregated after performances to share their thoughts.

Among their discussions of course was Oberto by the young maestro from Busseto.

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7 Via Monte di Pietà

5 Via San Protaso

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Via G. Verdi 12

14 Piazza della Scala

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PEDESTRIAN ROUTE A 15

onte di Pietà

5

Archi di Porta Nuova 3

4

Via A. Manzoni

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CD track list Nabucco 1 Act III • Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves: Va’, pensiero (4:36) Orchestra e Coro del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma Gabriele Santini, Conductor Recording: Rome, August 1958 - Stereo - P 1959 I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata 2 Act IV • Chorus of Crusaders: O Signore, dal tetto natio (4:51) Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Milano della RAI Manno Wolf-Ferrari, Conductor Recording: Milan, February 1951 - Mono - P 1951 Rigoletto 3 Act II • Rigoletto’s Aria: Cortigiani vil razza dannata (4:32) Rigoletto: Alexander De Svéd, Baritone Orchestra Sinfonia della Radio Italiana in Torino Alfredo Simonetto, Conductor Recording: Turin, 1947 - Mono - P 1948 Rigoletto 4 Act III • Duke’s: La donna è mobile (2:22) Il Duca di Mantova: Jussi Björling, Tenor Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma Jonel Perlea, Conductor Recording: Rome, June 1956 - Mono - P 1957 Il trovatore Act II 5 Chorus of the Gypsies: Vedi! Le fosche notturne spoglie (2:39) 6 Azucena’s Aria: Stride la vampa (2:54) Azucena: Fedora Barbieri, Contralto Robert Shaw Chorale & RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra Renato Cellini, Conductor Recording: New York, February-March 1952 - Mono - P 1953 Il trovatore 7 Act III • Manrico’s Cabaletta: Di quella pira (2:12) Manrico: Richard Tucker, Tenor Orchestra e Coro del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma Arturo Basile, Conductor Recording: Rome, July 1959 - Stereo - P 1960 La traviata 8 Act I • Prelude (4:02) Columbia Symphony Orchestra Thomas Schippers, Conductor Recording: New York, December 1960 - Stereo - P 1961 La traviata 9 Act I • Duet: Libiamo nei lieti calici (3:07) Violetta: Victoria de los Angeles, Soprano Alfredo: Carlo Del Monte, Tenor Orchestra e Coro del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma Tullio Serafin, Conductor Recording: Rome, July 1959 - Stereo - P 1960

simon boccanegra Prologue @ Fiesco’s Recitative: A te l’estremo addio (1:50) # Fiesco’s Aria: Il lacerato spirto (3:26) Jacopo Fiesco: Mario Petri, Bass Orchestra Sinfonia e Coro di Roma della RAI Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Conductor Recording: Rome, November 1951 - Mono - P 1952 DON CARLO $ Act III • Filippo’s Aria: Ella giammai m’amò (9:12) Filippo II: Boris Christoff, Bass Philharmonia Orchestra, London Herbert von Karajan, Conductor Recording: London, November 1949 - Mono - P 1950 Aida Act I % Radames’s Recitative: Se quel guerrier io fossi (1:10) ^ Radames’s Aria: Celeste Aida (3:39) Radames: Franco Corelli, Tenor Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI di Torino Angelo Questa, Conductor Recording: Turin, December 1956 - Mono - P 1957 Aida Act II & Chorus: Gloria all’Egitto (3:43) * Triumphal March and Final Chorus (4:22) Orchestra e Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia in Roma Alberto Erede, Conductor Recording: Rome, July 1952 - Mono - P 1953 Otello ( Act IV • Desdemona’s Aria: Ave Maria (4:57) Desdemona: Renata Tebaldi, Soprano Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia in Roma Alberto Erede, Conductor Recording: Rome, August 1954 - Stereo - P 1955 Falstaff ) Act III • Finale: Tutto nel mondo è burla (3:06) Sir John Falstaff: Tito Gobbi, Baritone Mr. Ford: Rolando Panerai, Baritone Bardolfo: Renato Ercolani, Tenor Pistola: Nicola Zaccaria, Bass Mr. Alice Ford: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Soprano Nannetta: Anna Moffo, Soprano Fenton: Luigi Alva, Tenor Dr. Cajus: Tommaso Spataro, Tenor Mrs. Quickly: Fedora Barbieri, Mezzo-sprano Mrs. Page: Nan Merriman, Mezzo-soprano Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, London Herbert von Karajan, Conductor Recording: London, June-July 1956 - Stereo P 1957

La traviata 0 Act I • Violetta’s Cabaletta: Sempre libera (3:59) Violetta: Maria Callas, Soprano Alfredo: Francesco Albanese, Tenor Orchestra Sinfonia delle RAI di Torino Gabriele Santini, Conductor Recording: Turin, September 1953 - Mono - P 1953 I VESPRI SICILIANI ! Sinfonia (8:38) London Symphony Orchestra Antal Dorati, Conductor Recording: London, July 1957 - Stereo - P 1958

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