Giuseppe Verdi, the popular genius behind "Rigoletto", "Aida" and "La Traviata", continues to enthral audiences with his daring music and stories of love and death. This biography shows that he was always fighting: for Italy's freedom and nationhood and for his own artistic freedom against the censors, opera impresario's and the authorities.

Giuseppe Verdi, the popular genius behind "Rigoletto", "Aida" and "La Traviata", continues to enthral audiences with his daring music and stories of love and death. His life was as dramatic and passionate as his music. As this biography shows, he was always fighting: for Italy's freedom and nationhood and for his own artistic freedom against the censors, opera impresario's and the authorities.