Operisti Project
Operisti Project
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An unexpected surprise
An unexpected surprise
In Spring 2025, we came across an online article about an extraordinary piece of music.
The piece was called “Stramberia”. The composer? Giuseppe Verdi.
The genesis: “Stramberia”
The genesis: “Stramberia”
We were astonished to learn that the giant of Italian opera had written a piece for violin and piano. As we read on, we learned about the research conducted by renowned Verdi scholar Dino Rizzo on a score discovered in Parma, his attribution of the piece to Verdi, and its first modern performance in 2007 by Salvatore Accardo and Laura Manzini.
It is remarkable that a gem like this is still virtually unknown today and has not yet become a regular part of the repertoire.
It is worth remembering, in fact, that Italian instrumental music of the nineteenth century is often neglected precisely because, as one frequently hears, it supposedly lacks works by composers of sufficient stature. This naturally leads us to wonder: is Verdi statured enough to deserve a little more attention in the instrumental sphere as well?
Furthermore, while it is understandable that the score’s long-uncertain authorship may have hindered its dissemination, it is surprising that following Prof. Rizzo’s research and the aforementioned premiere, there is evidence of only one other public performance.
On the other hand, the score is not even commercially available, making it essentially impossible for the public to experience the work.
Of course, a composer as great as Verdi does not need a small piece for violin and piano in order to be remembered. Yet it must be emphasized that, when considered in the context of the composer’s entire output—which contains no other works whatsoever for violin and piano—the piece represents a striking unicum.
And yet the existence of this single Verdi composition for such a significant instrumental combination remains unknown to the general public. Moreover, there are no recordings that would allow listeners to discover and appreciate it.
In short, determined to learn more about this mysterious piece, we contacted directly the scholar who had studied and analyzed it so meticulously.
After a fruitful correspondence with Prof. Dino Rizzo, we not only gained access to the score, but were also able to examine and appreciate the entire body of critical evidence supporting its attribution to Verdi.
And there it was before us: a curious three-movement work, with a truly “strange” (in Italian, "stramba") formal structure and considerable interpretive interest.
All of this led us to reflect on how we might do justice to such a striking case of artistic and musicological neglect, ultimately inspiring us to conceive a project specifically dedicated to it.
An isolated case or… an emblematic one?
An isolated case or… an emblematic one?
We started from a simple observation: it seemed paradoxical to find ourselves devising a project whose aim was to bring attention to a composition by the most performed opera composer in the world.
And yet the need was—and still is—very real. Despite the nearly twenty years that have passed since its first modern performance, the piece continues to retain all the fascination of a previously unpublished work.
A question therefore arose: if this happened with Stramberia, is it reasonable to assume that something similar may have happened to other lesser-known compositions by other giants of Italian opera?
Could there be other instrumental works that have ended up being ignored or forgotten, perhaps because of the long-standing prejudice that associated Italian musical genius almost exclusively—with only rare exceptions—with opera? Or perhaps because such works were not considered worthy of comparison with the great instrumental masterpieces associated with the German tradition? Or perhaps for any number of other reasons?
Verd...ict
Verd...ict
More than a year of research has given us, to our immense surprise and great satisfaction, the answer: yes.
After extensive correspondence with associations, foundations, and libraries in Italy and abroad—including Switzerland, Austria, and the United States—we succeeded in gaining access to a truly remarkable number of rare manuscripts and scores by the greatest Italian opera composers.
Some of these works have never been recorded before, while others have been recorded only once or twice in the course of their history.
As of today, we are able to draw up a programme that includes, alongside Stramberia, previously unrecorded instrumental works by Paisiello, Rossini, Cherubini, and Bellini, as well as many other rarities.
The importance of a cultural initiative capable of bringing this invaluable corpus of to light is therefore self-evident.
The Project
The Project
The first stage of the project will be a recording of this corpus..
The natural continuation will be the creation of a concert tour to promote it.
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