Certainly, one of the reasons for its neglect is the poor quality of the libretto, to which numerous musicologists have drawn attention. Enough material, one would think, to inspire any composer, especially one of Verdi’s stature, yet the opera has consistently failed to secure any long-lasting interest. The work is based on Schiller’s Sturm und Drang play “Die Rauber” with its focus on the unbridled expression of extreme emotional states, couched in a grim narrative which includes, amongst its themes fratricide and parricide, treachery and betrayal, accompanied by a doomed love interest.

Opera Roma’s production of “I Masnadieri” presents us with a welcome and rare opportunity to take a fresh look at another of Verdi’s lesser known works, one of the the works he casually dismissed as being from his “galley years,” and to which he made very few references, even claiming not really to remember much about it. This impression of such undeserved wanton neglect was recently confirmed by a recent production at Parma’s 2017 Verdi Festival. But sometimes there seems to be no apparent reason for their neglect: Opera North’s impressive 1990 production of “Jerusalem” has long retained a place in the memory. “Un Giorno di Regno” immediately springs to mind. Normally, these works are rarely performed for a reason – namely because they are not particularly strong.

It is always interesting to come across a performance of one of Verdi’s lesser known works, although you cannot always be certain of what you will get.

Bandit verdi opera