Giuseppe Verdi is perhaps the most important and influential composer from the
19th century. He studied for
Vincenzo Lavigna in
Milano, and in
1839 his first
opera,
Oberto, was performed at
La Scala. His Macbeth in 1847, after
Shakespeare's play, gave him an international reputation. 1850-1853 he produced three operas that is still an important part of the international opera repertoire.
In 1861, after years of great productivity, he became a member of the Italian parliament and didn't produce the same quantity of music as before. Nevertheless, he created the important Aida for the opening of the Suez canal, and Otello and Falstaff after Shakespeare.
The following are his most famous operas.
Oberto (1839)
Nabucco, "Nebukadnesar" (1842)
I Lombardi alla prima Crociata (1843)
Ernani (1844)
I due Foscari (1844)
Giovanna d'Arco (1845)
Alzira (1845)
Attila (1846)
Macbeth (1847)
I Masnadieri (1847)
Il Corsaro (1848)
Luisa Miller (1849)
Stiffelio (1850, 1857 re-worked into Aroldo)
Rigoletto (1851)
Il Trovatore – The Troubadour (1853)
La Traviata (1853)
Les Vêpres siciliennes – The Sicilian Vespers (1855)
Simon Boccanegra (1857)
Un Ballo in maschera (1859)
La Forza del destino (1862)
Don Carlos (1867)
Aida (1871)
Otello (1887)
Falstaff (1893)