October 10, 2013, is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi, one of the most influential composers of the 19th century. His works -- including "Rigoletto," "Il Trovatore," "La Traviata," and "Aida" -- are among the most celebrated operas of all time. In his native Italy, his operas were adopted by the public as part of the nationalist movement for unification and liberation from Austria. (14 PHOTOS)
Composer Giuseppe Verdi's 200th Birthday
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Medals issued by the opera house La Scala in Milan to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Verdi's death, at the age of 87, on January 27, 1901. Verdi and his wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, are both buried at a home for retired singers and musicians that the composer founded, and which he referred to as his greatest work.
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A scene from "Aïda" performed in 2005 in Nice, France.
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Vittorio Grigolo and Marie-Ange Todorovitch in a rehearsal of "Rigoletto" in 2011. The opera draws on a play by Victor Hugo, and initially had trouble with censors in Austrian-controlled northern Italy for its satirical depiction of nobility.
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The mask of the jester Rigoletto lays on the ground during a rehearsal.
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Versions in multiple languages of the opera "Othello" at an exhibition in Berlin