«Nothing but the Commonest Tunes»
The Early Reception of Verdi’s Operas in London, 1845-1848
Massimo Zicari
Despite the vast research on Verdi’s compositional as well as dramatic achievements, little attention seems to have been paid to the early reception of his works in London and to the way English columnists contributed to the general discussion on Italian opera in the 19th century. A review of such periodicals as The Times, The Musical Times, The Athenaeum and The Musical World has drawn attention to two particular aspects of relevance: a) Verdi’s first operas impinged upon the model represented by Rossini’s light-spirited melodiousness and provoked a sense of general bewilderment; b) even when opera-goers began to show clear signs of appreciation and to crowd the theatres where Verdi’s operas were performed, critics continued to object to their value and to ascribe their success to the singers’ new vocal and dramatic skills.
