This section is about Giuseppe Verdi’s life and his relationship with the political and cultural scenes of his time. A troublesome affair, as the title of Verdi’s biography written by the English scholar Gabriele Baldini suggests. It was indeed a battle, not only because of the bereavements in his family between 1838 and 1840, but also because of his struggle to harmonize his private life with his public profile on the one hand, and his aspiration for solitude with dazzling stage lights on the other.