Were Verdi and Wagner rivals?

Not really, not in any meaningful sense. They did have rather different approaches to the medium of opera and to music in general, but they did not antagonistically compete with one another. read more

He was quite aware of Wagner, and admired certain aspects of his music, such as the dramatic efficacy of the Leitmotif. But Verdi also believed Wagner was overstepping the bounds of the medium and placing himself in opposition to the sensibilities of the opera-going public. read more

Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi between them dominated the second half of a century that Verdi, though not Wagner, would outlive: Verdi died in Milan aged 87 in 1901 (five days after Queen Victoria, as it happened), Wagner had died in Venice in 1883 aged 69. read more

The Parallel Lives of Verdi and Wagner by Peter McKenzie-Brown Born a few months apart in 1813, German composer Richard Wagner (May 22) and Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (October 9) were the greatest operatic composers of all time. read more