With the premiere of “Un Ballo in Maschera” in 1859, Verdi had completed 23 operas in 20 years. He had reached the pinnacle of success as the most celebrated and often performed composer of Italian opera. For a second time in his career, Verdi decided to retire. He was being kept very busy with his villa and farm at Sant’ Agata and in 1861 he began to serve in the first Italian parliament. In 1860, Verdi received a commission for a new opera from the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg. After two years of compositional silence, Verdi took up again the pen and at the end of 1862 “La Forza Del Destino” was premiered in Russia. Jeffrey Engel will detail the background history of “La Forza” and play some excerpts from it.

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