Based on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, Verdi's last opera is a wise, wistful comedy about a self-deluded old man who vainly attempts to seduce two women at once - and gets his comeuppance at their hands. Lecturer Alexandra Amati-Camperi will speak about the composer and the librettist and the opera's musical context, and illustrate her talk with audio and visual examples. Cost: $10. To reserve call: (925) 945-7347 or e-mail: operaphile@earthlink.net.
