Verdi

Galley Years

Verdi entered what he called his "galley years", where he created operas for various cities in Europe. During this period, he wrote a series of operas that became more personal and intimate.

Rigoletto was one of his finer operas. It is a sad story of a hunchbacked court jester that tries to get revenge on the seduction of his daughter by a Duke. Unfortunately, this attempt at revenge results in the death of his daughter, as she gives up her life to save the Duke. (See audio clip below)