Castellani also co-wrote the original script with Leonardo Benvenuti and Piero De Bernardi.
The English version was written by Gene Luotto and narrated by Burt Lancaster.
The production stars British actor Ronald Pickup as Giuseppe Verdi, Italian ballet dancer and actress Carla Fracci as Giuseppina Verdi, and Giampiero Albertini as Antonio Barezzi.
Funded by a number of European national broadcasting companies, the series is an accurate portrayal of Verdi's life.
According to promotional material for the production, it was "filmed on location in Italy, Leningrad, London, and Paris...(T)his epic mini-series took several years to create, requiring more than 100 actors, 1800 extras, and 4000 costumes.