149
·amura·
Resultó un testimonio apasionado y viril de un
hombre de setenta años. Fue todavía más difícil con-
vencerlo para que emprendiera
Falstaff
, lamás comple-
ta de las óperas cómicas. El libreto de Boito es una obra
maestra,
Falstaff
esunmilagrodeplasticidad,brillantez
y alegría de vivir. La ópera es una joya que la mayoría
escucha después de recorrer otras composiciones. Se
estrenóenLaScalaen1893.Verdituvotiempoparadar-
nos un epílogo, las Cuatro piezas sacras, enhomenaje a
Palestina. El principio del fin sobrevino con la muerte
de Giuseppina en 1897. Ella supo darle a Verdi apoyo y
comprensión. Fue una cantante celebre e intervino en
muchas obrasde sumarido. Fueunmatrimoniobásica-
mente feliz aunque hubo momentos álgidos. Al morir
Peppina Verdi supo sobrellevar la pérdida con digni-
dad aunque nunca se repuso cabalmente. Cuatro años
después murió, el 22 de enero de 1901. Su testamento
es espejo de su espíritu: repleto de ideales, muestra de
la integridaddeunavidanoble. Como tributoaPeppina
fundóunhogarparamúsicosenMilán,demodoquelos
artistasnecesitadospudieranpasar suvejez sinangus-
tias económicas. En esa casa de reposo descansan Giu-
seppeyPeppina.
The resukts were worthy of Shakespeare. It bé-
came a passionate testimony of a viril man of only 70
years old. Its was still harder to convince him to write
Falstaff, his most comoplete comic opera. Boito’s lu-
ibretto is a masterwork and falñstaff is a miracle of
perfection, brilliance and joie d vivre. This jewel of an
opera is usually discovered by opera fans after cover-
ing the whole output. Its premiere at La Scala en 1893
wasmemorable. Verdi still had time to compose anEp-
ilogue, the Four Sacred Pieces, a homage to Palestrina.
The beggining of the end came with the death of Gi-
useppina in 1897. She gave Verdi support and under-
standing. She had been a famous Singer and partici-
pated inmanyWorks by her husband. It was basically
a happymarriage although therewer tensemoments.
When Peppina died Verdi handled his grief with dig-
nity buy never recovered fully. Four years later he die
don january 22, 1901. His testament is like a miroir of
his spirit. , full of his ideals, samples of theintegrity of
a nioble life. As a tribute to Peppina he founded a rest
home formusicians inMilan, where theneeded cound
spend a dignified old agewithut economic worries. In
the home, Giuseppe and Peppina rest eternally.
10
10. Arrigo Boito,
poeta y compositor
con Giuseppe Verdi
(Boito realizó los
libretti de Otello
y Falstaff).
/
Arrigo Boito, poet
and composer
with Giuseppe
Verdi ( Boito was
responsable for
the libetti of Otello
and Falstaff, both
masterpieces.
Meet the music • Música
