Verdi Falstaff (complete)
Mark Elder conductor
Ambrogio Sir John Falstaff
Ashley Holland Ford
Stuart Kale* Dr Caius
Anthony Mee Bardolfo
Umberto Chiummo Pistol
Alice Coote* Meg Page
Susan Chilcott Alice Ford
Felicity Palmer Mistress Quickly
Camilla Tilling* Nannetta
* Hallé debut
semi-staged performance in Italian with surtitles
Mark Elder, acclaimed for his inspired interpretation of Verdi’s music,
presents a highlight in our Shakespeare focus. Verdi’s Falstaff spills over with wit and joie de vivre as the fat knight is teased and tormented for fondly imagining himself an irresistible lover. It’s an intoxicating score, remarkable for its startling orchestral gestures, deliciously comic sounds, fleet-footed melodies, and alternately beautiful and bustling accompaniments for those merry wives. Packed with drama, deceit and disguise, Verdi’s late, great masterpiece is perfectly rounded off as Falstaff leads the exuberant finale: “Tutto nel mondo č burla” - Everything in the world is a joke.
Broadcast by BBC Radio 3
BOOK NOW |
