"A merry and forever true ruffian. Go, we will advance." - from Verdiﾕs memo written in the autograph of Falstaff Falstaff, being Verdiﾕs last operatic work, is his "swan song." Wagner's Parsifal, Rossiniﾕs Guillaume Tell - when one mentions swan songs, an incredible collection of works comes to mind. Without a doubt, one would believe that the master who created the many heroes of tragedy, and beauties of tragic love would compose a work along those lines. However, what the 80-year-old Verdi wrote was a comic opera based upon Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. The main character Sir John, conducts the misdeeds of a band of robbers over and over again even though he is a knight. To make matters worse, he is a fat, womanizing, impudent, old man who brazenly sends love letters containing the same text, word-for-word, to two different married women, Mrs. Meg Page and Mrs. Alice Ford. Actually, Verdi had wanted to finish his career with a comic opera. A traditional Italian comic opera that blended in the sadness, happiness, and realities of life had been a long-time wish. Following the 1995 production of The Rake's Progress, this is the second collaboration with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The stage production is led by Tambosi (Stage Director) and Schlössmann (Designer). Though simple, even the most boisterous scenes are tinted with moderation and dignity, matching Ozawa's musicality superbly. There is no doubt that this production will reveal why Verdi had for so long wanted to write a comic opera. Mariko Goto (Writer)