New perspectives on the work and life of Giuseppe Verdi are long overdue. Perhaps no other prominent composer in the history of music has generated the circulation of so many sweeping statements and half-truths. Still too little is known about one of the most successful composers of all times, about his compositional techniques, his largely unknown early biography, the contemporary reception of his works and much more. These are the important reasons for providing a new forum for the most recent high-quality research as well as reviews of relevant new publications in order to promote a fruitful discussion between international scholars about (not just) nineteenth-century Italian opera.
The main objective of verdiperspektiven is to provide an intellectual platform for international scholars to publish high-quality essays on Giuseppe Verdi’s life and works (music, dramaturgy, biography, philological and analytical questions), on the social, political and cultural context of 19th-century European opera, as well as studies concerning musical reception and dissemination.
As a peer-reviewed journal, verdiperspektiven focusses on publishing a selection of high-quality essays. In addition to the main articles, each issue includes a reviews section dedicated to the main new publications concerning Verdi and the musical theatre of his time, as well as a section with commented primary sources (including unpublished archival documents or rare 19th-century printed sources).