This month is the birthday of Giuseppe Verdi. In honor of the famed Italian opera composer, morning classical host and opera singer Kevin Doherty put together some did-you-know facts about the great.
RICHARD WAGNER RIVALRY
Born in the same year, Verdi and Wagner embody two completely different visions of music. William Lumpkin, music director for the Boston University Opera Institute, explains, "Wagner was known to abhor grand opera. And Verdi was known to say that Wagner often went down an avenue that was unnecessary." Upon Wagner’s death, however, Verdi’s admiration for his rival was evident. He wrote, “Let’s not talk about it. A great individual has disappeared! A name that has left a most powerful mark on the history of art.”
VERDI COULD BE DIFFICULT
Once, after criticizing La Scala’s director Bartolomeo Merelli for not having done everything in his power to make Giovanna d’Arco a success, Verdi swore he would never again allow another of his works to be performed there … a grudge he ended up holding for over forty years! The next work to grace the celebrated stage was the premiere of Otello in 1887.
KING OF OPERA
For being known as the "king of opera," Verdi struggled for success at first. After an extremely difficult period marred by personal loss (the deaths of his wife and two young daughters) and professional failure (the disastrous premiere of Un giorno di regno), Verdi went a full year and a half without composing a new work.
The first work he completed after the pause? His bold new opera Nabucco. The opera is justly famous for its moving chorus "Va, pensiero," which became a rallying cry for Italy's struggle for independence and was sung spontaneously by a few hundred thousand people at Verdi's funeral in 1901. | 
