Opera - Verdi's Falstaff

One of Verdi’s last opera that he wrote was the Falstaff. I decided to watch a shortened version of this opera that sums up the performance in 10 minutes. Unlike some of Verdi’s other operas, this one seems to be more continuous at points; there seems to be constant action in the performance, rarely do you have a part that is without sound except in between Acts. The melodic range of this piece seems somewhat to range between high and low periods depending on how the scene is. This helps to create a very dramatic story. The melody in parts is very skippy but other parts are more continuous movement from note to note. At the end of the piece, they realize that the world is meant for fun as they all come together in an accelerando. During this accelerando, there is the addition of individuals in the choir and not to have the entire choir singing at the beginning and all the way through. The music of this opera is very complementary to the singers. If you pay attention closely, there is the accompaniment that is somewhat lagged to the performance of the singers and often intertwined with their performance. It also helps build the mood and direction for which the act is going. However, often you will find that it speeds up till a climax and then slows again. Approximately 1:55 into the video, you can see the use of a Rossini crescendo to help build excitement. This helps show the influence that Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti has on Verdi’s work.
The performer’s seemed to have done an excellent job of dressing the time period at which the piece was written. They also do a good job of movement and using the entire stage that they are performing on.