Verdi’s last opera is a comic masterpiece, which many consider the greatest work by the greatest of opera composers. The characters and plot, derived from Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2), center on the bumptious, (literally) “larger-than-life” knight Falstaff, and the pranks devised by the matrons he attempts to woo. In this class, we’ll study a complete recording of The Metropolitan Opera’s 2009 production (directed by Franco Zeffirelli), with bilingual (Italian-English) video-subtitles—a playful and authentic context for introducing or reinforcing Italian-language skills, while enhancing appreciation of how Verdi’s music heightens the comic and dramatic effect of texts drawn from Shakespeare’s plays.

Text: All required texts and related materials will be supplied online by the instructor (at no additional cost).