The operas of the most celebrated composer of the nineteenth century, Giuseppe Verdi, enjoyed resounding success during his lifetime and continue to captivate audiences to this day. Otello, Aida, La Traviata, Rigoletto, and I Masnadieri have entered the golden treasury of world music, with their arias performed on stages across the globe. But who was this great composer in reality? Why did his work inspire so many of his contemporaries, whose lives were bound up with revolutions and struggles for independence? What lies behind the mystery of his legendary, long-standing rivalry with Wagner, and who was the enigmatic woman that became his muse in the final years of his life?