Premiere performances on the 27th and 28th of February and on the 1st and 2nd of March
Three years after the premiere of “Otello”, Verdi agreed to begin working on “Falstaff”. Arrigo Boito wrote a brilliant libretto inspired by William Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor”. Verdi composed the entire opera in less than two years.
Together with his publisher Julio Ricordi, Verdi arranges for the premiere to take place in the beginning of February, 1893, at La Scala. The entire preparation and rehearsal process was kept a deep secret, especially from the press. Only at the end of 1892 did society and the press learn about the new opera and interest was huge.
The opera premiered on the 9th of February, 1893, at La Scala. Royalty, aristocrats, critics and artists from entire Europe were present. Edoardo Mascheroni conducted the opera. There were encores for some of the parts and Verdi and the entire ensemble were applauded for more than an hour after the performance.
After the amazing success of “Falstaff”, the Italian government decided to award Giuseppe Verdi the title “Marquise of Busetto” but the composer refused to accept it and so did Arrigo Boito when he was offered a nobleman’s title.
This current production of “Falstaff” is the third one in the Sofia Opera’s repertoire. Verdi’s final work was presented for the first time in Bulgaria on 10.02.1942 with conductor Edmondo de Vecchi and director Petar Raichev. The next premiere took place on 14.06.1986 with conductor Dimitar Manolov and conductor Svetozar Donev.
Get your tickets here:
17 Feb 2025Sofia Opera and Ballet