Falstaff was a member of the aristocracy and he has a very self-important view of that position and the power it gave him. In “Falstaff” much of the social criticism worked well for England after the Second World War, for instance the themes of a rising middle class and the anticipation of the sunset of the aristocracy. Does “Falstaff” speak to contemporary audiences?Ī. I don’t see why we can’t do them in the contemporary dress of our time - even if the play was written hundreds of years ago or the opera was written more than a century ago. Shakespeare’s plays were performed in the contemporary dress of his time. I’m not very good at doing period pieces because my philosophical belief is that everything is modern. So it’s still Elizabethan and it’s still English. I moved the time from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II. (Italian composer) Arrigo Boito’s libretto is a fantastic achievement in the astonishing way he wove Falstaff together from Shakespeare’s plays so that the character was based on Shakespeare, but still completely his own.Ī. Oh, yes, of course, because Verdi’s “Falstaff” is one of the greatest operas ever written and Falstaff is one of the greatest characters ever invented. Q: Does “Falstaff” hold a special appeal for a stage director?Ī. The December 14 performance will be shown around the globe.Ĭarsen, whose production of the opera premiered to critical acclaim in London in 2012 and in Milan in 2013 to mark the 200th anniversary of Verdi’s birthday, spoke to Reuters about the work, its relevance to audiences and the character of Sir John Falstaff. REUTERS/Ken HowardĬanadian opera director Robert Carsen has set the production, which will be conducted by music director James Levine and feature Ambrogio Maestri in the title role, in 1950s England. A scene from Verdi's "Falstaff" with Ambrogio Maestri (standing center) in the title role.