This Verdi-embroidered Dress is basically ...

... the most beautiful gown ever

1 November 2017, 10:35

By Maddy Shaw Roberts

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This bespoke ‘La Traviata’ gown is a vision for the eyes and the ears…

A few years ago, Katy Perry rocked up on the Grammy Awards red carpet in a stunning gown, unusually featuring the score from Verdi’s La Traviata.

Here is the gown:

It’s pretty lovely, right?

The dress was designed by Valentino, and it took over 1,600 hours to embroider with Verdi’s score. It was named La Valse de Violetta Valéry, after the aria ‘Sempre libera degg'io’, also known as ‘Violetta’s waltz’ in the opera.

The aria brings Act I to a close, and is performed by lead soprano Violetta, a famed courtesan. After meeting Alfredo, a young bourgeois, she wonders if she could fall in love with him – but concludes she needs the freedom to live her life and sings the famed waltz.

Despite the title of the dress, music geeks noticed that the music on the score appears to be taken from earlier in Act I, from the aria ‘Dell’invito trascorsa è già l’ora’.

But heck, who cares! This is officially the most beautiful muso dress ever. Hats off to Katy Perry for bringing Verdi into the pop culture spotlight.

via GIPHY

(Also, it turns out Katy Perry briefly studied Italian opera at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara – which is awesome.)

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Guiseppe Verdi - His Music and his Life

The Italien Guiseppe Verdi was born near Busseto, Roncole, Parma on October 10,1813 and was one of the few composers whose genius was recognized while he as still alive. His reputation as the greatest of all Italian opera composers is beyond dispute.

It was the same year that the Great German Richard Wagner was born - a remarkable parallel to the year 1685 when Bach and Händel have been born.

Verdi started to work as clerk for the trader Antonio Barezzi. Barezzi, a great music lover, made it possible for Verdi to get a grant and scholarship.

Verdi studied also under a Milan Scala's music conductor and was lucky to get theatre practice. In 1835, Verdi became an organ musician. he later became a music conductor in his native town Bussett.

His first opera "Oberto" (1839) received a favorably appreciation. In 1840, Verdi composed his second "opera comique" ("Un Giorno de Rigno") - for him an objectionable work: during the composition period Verdi's wife and two children passed away.

Verdi didn't like to compose operas anymore, but when he read another songbook, his phantasm has been fulfilled with the composition of "Nabucco" (1842): "Fly my thought on golden wings!" Verdi received the name of honor "Maestro della rivoluzione italiana".

More operas followed: "I Lombardi" (1843), "Emani" (1844), Macbeth" (1847, after a drama by Shakespeare), and "Luisa Miller" (1849).

The operas "Rigoletto" (1851), "Il Travatore" (1853) and "La Traviata" (also 1853) remained as a grip musical three-constellation. "La Donna e Mobile" became Verdi's most popular opera song.

"Aida" (1871), "Othello" (1887) and "Falstaff" (1893) followed. Verdi belonged to one of the most blessed opera composers, while other music works of him never reached the same immense popularity.

Verdi passed away in Milan on January 27, 1901.