After so many dark and tragic works, Verdi decided at the end of his life to let his comic verve speak. Inspired by colorful Shakespearean characters, he offers us with Falstaff an opera full of humor and tenderness, and led with a beating drum!
In Windsor, Alice and Meg are offended: they have both received a sweet note from Lord Falstaff, who would not take a dim view of them cheating on their husband for him! With their friends and their families, they decide to play a good trick on the old fop… The ultimate opera by a Verdi now in his eighties, Falstaff is a real gem of humor and finesse. With his brilliant librettist Boito, Verdi finds Shakespeare, who has already inspired him with two masterpieces: Macbeth in 1847 and Otelloin 1887. But here, the musician decides to abandon the dramas that made him famous to give the public a light work, full of humor and piquancy. Giving free rein to his inspiration, Verdi composes pages that are alternately sparkling, lyrical, sensual... A true compendium of all his art, with a delicate modernity, this swan song by the old master plays with themes as diverse as desire, conjugal fidelity, but also the privileges linked to certain social classes, and their announced end...