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Verdi's comic opera, Falstaff, is based directly on the Shakespeare character, using The Merry Wives of Windsor as its principal source. It was Verdi's last opera, following the near-perfection of his Otello six years earlier. Falstaff was first performed at La Scala in February, 1893, the year that Verdi was to turn 80. The opera was a popular and critical success, a triumph for the aging maestro. |