Music of the Future: Italian Theatres and the European Experience of Modernity between Unification and World War One

Abstract

This article challenges the common idea of Italy’s obsession with Italian music, and with Verdi in particular, an image which supports stereotypes of Italians as narrowly focused on their own national culture, mentally sealed off from what is happening outside the peninsula. Starting from an analysis of the frequently rather mixed or even negative reception of Verdi’s music in Italy, the article outlines the general crisis which affected Italian opera after Unification. One of the responses to this crisis was a remarkable internationalization of the repertoire on the Italian stages. Taking music and opera as an example, the article demonstrates the extent to which Italy articulated its experience of modernity and nation building through a transnational exchange of ideas and a generous reception of European culture.