Verdi’s unseen notes raise hope of new work

Handwritten notes and passages of music have been handed over by Verdi’s heirs
Handwritten notes and passages of music have been handed over by Verdi’s heirs
DEAGOSTINI/GETTY IMAGES

Opera experts believe that they are on the verge of discovering new work by Giuseppe Verdi after the Italian composer’s heirs handed over 5,300 pages of his notes, most of which have never been seen.

“I am 95 per cent sure we will find as yet unheard music by Verdi in these documents,” Fabrizio Della Seta, an expert, said after Italian government inspectors convinced Verdi’s heirs to make the documents public, despite his wish that they be destroyed.

Verdi, who died in 1901, composed some of the best-known operas, including La Traviata, Aida and Rigoletto but, unlike other composers, most of his preparatory notes were never released, denying experts an understanding of his creative process.

A trunk packed with his handwritten notes has sat in