ver.di is a large Germantrade union. It claims to be the largest trade union in the world, with 2.6 million members. "ver.di" is an abbreviation for Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, which means "united service trade union".
Verdi's gift for stirring melody and tragic and heroic situations struck a chord in an Italy struggling for freedom and unity, causes with which he was sympathetic; but much opera of this period has political themes and the involvement of Verdi'soperas in politics is easily exaggerated.
Verdi was involved himself in political activity at this time, as representative of Busseto (where he lived) in the provincial parliament; later, pressed by Cavour, he was elected to the national parliament, and ultimately he was a senator.
Verdi was ready to give up opera; his works of 1873 are a string quartet and the vivid, appealing Requiem in honour of the poet Manzoni, given in 1874-5, in Milan (San Marco and La Scala, aptly), Paris, London and Vienna.
From 1826 to 1829 he took lessons from Provesi, organist of Busseto cathedral, and in 1831 went to Milan to study under Lavigna.
Verdi entered on a new phase in 1850, and his "Rigoletto" (produced at Venice on 11 March, 1851) astonished the musical world.
Italian parliament for Busseto; and, subsequently, when, on being appointed a senator by the King of Italy (1875), he went to Rome to be duly admitted, but never assisted at a single sitting.
Feeds |
Contact