Giuseppe Verdi is the greatest Grand Opera composer ever. He wrote twenty-eight operas, seven of which are masterpieces; of those, three are a must. They are (in chronological order) "Rigoletto," "La Traviata," and "Aida."
If you're considering what your first live opera experience should be, look for any of those three in your opera company's schedule. Those three by Giuseppe Verdi are, perhaps, the only operas that ARE NOT acquired taste, not even a little bit. They are instantly appealing, provided you are familiar with their stories (if you're not familiar, you should become so before attending; it's ridiculously easy; the libretti (the plot and the lyrics) are widely available and accessible.
Giuseppe Verdi was born in the same years as Richard Wagner, his chief rival.
Giuseppe Verdi's strength is in his melodic gift. His melodies are numerous, unbelievably effective, memorable, and moving. He is also extremely generous with them. In the entire history of opera, only one composer (Giuseppe Verdi) tossed his melodies right and left without ever repeating them (even in the same opera). The little intro to Act Two of "Rigoletto," for instance, is the kind of masterpiece any other composer would have re-used, re-emphasized, re-hashed (Beethoven would have based an entire symphony movement, or two, on that intro alone) - but not Verdi. To Verdi, it was just a little trifle to open an act with.
Giuseppe Verdi's reputation is that of an operatic hack - thanks mostly to his artistic generosity. Few composers have admitted to being influenced by Verdi; most composers who came after him were influenced by him, including Giacomo Puccini, Ruggero Leoncavallo, et al.
Giuseppe Verdi's dislike for the "high C" in tenor parts may be well justified. None of his scores features one, anywhere. The composer's own take on it was, "Tenors tend to be obsessed with that single high C throughout the performance, before and after singing it, instead of paying attention to the rest of the score and the conductor."
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