With seven major roles — bass-baritone, two sopranos, two mezzos, baritone and tenor — this ensemble comedy is given free rein with Verdi giving them all so joy to project to an audience. I’ve seen the opera many times over the decades and own many recordings and videos and it never fails to make me smile, laugh, delight in Falstaff’s ridiculous megalomania, thrill to Ford’s monologue railing at his wife’s supposed infidelity and Mistress Quickly’s sly insinuations to draw Falstaff into the Merry Wives’ plot, revel in the lyric beauty of Fenton and Nanetta’s youthful love. And then there’s the final moment when all the principals, supporting players, and the orchestra send the audience home with smiles on their faces with Verdi’s final, magnificent fugue. “Tutto nel mondo” indeed. That Verdi created this astonishing score at the very end of his career is astonishing and becomes something of a miracle that this career came to a close with this joyous work. Bravo, maestro!