Let me begin by saying I have NO (ZERO, ZIP, NIL) clue what this opera is about. I just like the music.
Musicologist Roger Parker notes that, unlike in Verdi's previous compositions (and except for the first act which was completed by March 1890), the opera was not composed in chronological order, explaining that it may have been "an indication of the relative independence of individual scenes".[7] Also, progress was slow, with composition "carried out in short bursts of activity interspersed with long fallow periods" partly caused by the composer's depression at the thought of not being able to complete the score, this having been brought about by the deaths and impending deaths of close friends.[2][8]
But, as Verdi stated in letters at this time, unlike his previous practice of having a commission from a particular opera house, he was writing for his own pleasure: "in writing Falstaff, I haven't thought about either theatres or singers".[9] He reiterated this idea in December 1890, a time when his sprits were very low after Muzio's death that November: "Will I finish it [Falstaff]? Or will I not finish it? Who knows! I am writing without any aim, without a goal, just to pass a few hours of the day".[10] By early 1891 he was declaring that he could not finish the work that year, but in May he expressed some small optimism, which by mid-June, had turned into:
The Big Belly [the name givento the opera before the composition of Falstaff became public knowledge] is on the road to madness. There are some days when he does not move, he sleeps, and is in a bad humour. At other times he shouts, runs, jumps, and tears the place apart; I let him act up a bit, but if he goes on like this, I will put him in a muzzle and straighjacket.[11]
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Please follow me below the fleur-de-kos:
The Met's new production of Falstaff will include this century's great interpreter of the role:
Ambrogio Maestri, an Italian baritone whose imposing voice, height and heft have made him one of the leading Falstaffs of the day
http://www.nytimes.com/...
The opera, which usually features singing in a tavern, is something of a natural for Mr. Maestri, who got his start singing at his family’s restaurant in Pavia, where he worked as a cook and a waiter when he was not singing. Encouraged by the praise of regulars who were also “loggionisti,” the opinionated opera buffs of La Scala in nearby Milan, Mr. Maestri began to pursue a professional singing career.
Conflating characters with their most famous interpreters can be a tricky business. No one ever goes on about how demonic the world’s best Méfistophélès are, or about the sadism of baritones who sing Scarpia in Puccini’s “Tosca.” But there is something about Mr. Maestri’s size, good humor and love of food that invariably makes people describe him as “Falstaffian.”
Food may indeed have something to do with it. After he contributed a risotto recipe a few years ago to a cookbook called “The Opera Cooks,” people began asking for more. Now Mr. Maestri’s website contains not only reviews, the DVDs he appears in, and his forthcoming performances — but also a series of short cooking videos, with subtitles, that he made and posted on YouTube.