Giuseppe Verdi was a leading figure in 19th-century Italian opera. But his impact on the cultural and political landscape of the country went much deeper. This week Donald Macleod investigates how Verdi achieved an iconic status which still holds good to this day, beginning with three operas which formed turning points in his career - the first established his international reputation, the second broke new ground with an operatic adaptation of Shakespeare's Scottish play, and finally, the work which, alongside Rigoletto and Il trovatore, represents a high-water mark in Italian operatic history.

'Libiamo ne'lieti calici' (La Traviata)
Violetta ..... Ileana Cotrubas (soprano)
Alfredo ..... Placido Domingo (tenor)
Bavarian State Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor, Carlos Kleiber

'Surta è la notte' - 'Ernani, Ernani involami' (Ernani)
Elvira ..... Mirella Freni (soprano)
Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala Milan
Conductor, Riccardo Muti

Macbeth (extract from Act I)
Lady Macbeth ..... Fiorenza Cossotto (mezzo)
Macbeth ..... Sherrill Milnes (baritone)
Macduff ..... José Carreras (tenor)
Banquo ..... Ruggiero Raimondi (bass)
Ambrosian Opera Chorus
New Philharmonia Orchestra
Conductor, Riccardo Muti

La Traviata (extract from Act III)
Violetta ..... Ileana Cotrubas (soprano)
Alfredo ..... Placido Domingo (tenor)
Giorgio Germont ..... Sherrill Milnes (baritone)
Bavarian State Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor, Carlos Kleiber. Show less