Salieri's "Falstaff" delights - Review by Jeffrey Leibham
***RECOMMENDED*** Mention the name "Salieri" and most people will instantly think of his alleged rivalry with a much younger composer -- Mozart -- and his supposed all-consuming jealousy of the boy genius' prodigious output. But Italian composer Antonio Salieri (1750-1825) was already a highly-successful composer and mentor by the time that Mozart arrived at the royal court in Vienna. In fact, Salieri composed more than 35 operatic works during his lifetime. Thanks to the highly resourceful folks at Chicago Opera Theater, especially General Director Lawrence Edelson, local opera lovers should be thrilled to have the opportunity to separate the myth from the man and actually get to hear his glorious music firsthand. In its Chicago premiere, Salieri's "Falstaff" delights the curious nearly 227 years after it was created. 3 SPOTLIGHTS
