Temistocle Solera

Full biography Temistocle Solera

Temistocle Solera was an Italian composer and librettist born on December 25, 1815, in Ferrara, Italy. He was a pioneer of Italian Romantic opera and is best known for his collaborations with composer Giuseppe Verdi.

Solera began his career as a law student in Ferrara but soon abandoned his legal studies to pursue music full time. He began his musical career as a cellist in various orchestras and later wrote operatic librettos.

In the early 1840s, Solera began collaborating with Verdi, and the two would go on to create several successful operas together. One of their earliest collaborations was "Nabucco" in 1842, which was a huge success and helped to establish Verdi as one of Italy's most important composers.

Solera went on to work on several other operas with Verdi, including "I Lombardi" and "Giovanna d'Arco." But his most famous collaboration with Verdi was on the opera "La Traviata."

Solera provided the libretto for "La Traviata," which is based on a play by Alexandre Dumas Jr. The opera tells the story of a young woman named Violetta who falls in love with a young man named Alfredo but is forced to choose between her love for him and her loyalty to society's expectations.

The opera was a critical success when it premiered in 1853, but it faced some controversy due to its subject matter, which was considered scandalous at the time. However, it has since become one of the most beloved and frequently performed operas in the world, cementing Solera's legacy in the history of Italian opera.

Solera went on to write several other operatic librettos throughout his career, but his collaborations with Verdi remain his most famous works. He passed away on April 21, 1878, in Milan, Italy, but his contributions to the world of opera continue to be celebrated to this day.