BBC - Radio 4 - Woman's Hour -Verdi's women

Verdi was one of the most prolific composers of his time. His operas are both melodramatic and sentimental and never fight shy of the big themes, love and jealousy, sex and death.

He is responsible for some of the most well known female characters in opera - Aida, Violetta from La Traviata and Tosca.
But Verdi demanded that his heroines pay the ultimate price for transgression. When he created these roles in the nineteenth century, these women of questionable morals, were not allowed to live beyond the final act.
Mezzo soprano, Rosalind Plowright, has sung most of the great Verdi roles. To mark the 100th anniversary of Verdi's death, she has made a new recording of Aida.
Both she and music critic, Rian Evans, join Jenni to discuss whether it's fair to dismiss Verdi as a misogynist.
We're on our Christmas holidays, so sorry but audio will not be available for individual items. Don't forget you can still hear the full programme by going to the Woman's Hour homepage or by going to the Listen Again page.

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