Viva Verdi! The Music That United A Nation

Description
Why was Verdi so revered by the Italian people? Was it just his catchy tunes, or something deeper and more complex? Join me, as we take a minute to get the scoop!

Fun Fact
Italian unification is also known as the Risorgimento meaning "Resurgence", was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single state, the Kingdom of Italy. The unification process was precipitated by the revolutions of 1848 and reached completion in 1871 when Rome was officially designated the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

About Steven
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more.

A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.

Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: TCMMPodcast@Gmail.com 

Transcript

When Giuseppe Verdi died in January 1901 thousands of people took to the streets, marching to the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco and shouting Viva Verdi!

Verdi was beloved by Italy having composed more than 25 operas in his lifetime. But the nation also connected with his thematic sentiments which reflected the political turmoil of the time. 

When Nabucco first premiered, Italy was merely a collection of states with little more than a common language to unite them.

Nabucco’s depiction of the Israelites yearning for the promised land became a powerful metaphor for the long-frustrated desires of the Italian people. 

Verdi strongly believed in Italian Unification and honoured those who participated in the revolution. He even entered the country’s first parliament, in which he served for four years.

His operas explored the complexities of the human condition allowing for a timelessness that has elevated him to one of the greatest composers that ever lived.