Otello
Giuseppe Verdi decided to end his career as an opera composer in December 1871 after the premiere of Aida. He retreated into a decade-long retirement that left his Milan publisher Giulio Ricordi worried about lost talent and profits. Ricordi devised a plan to coax the seventy-year-old composer back into writing new works. The strategy involved introducing Boito as a librettist for a revision of Simon Boccanegra before attempting to persuade him with a completed Otello libretto. By July or August 1881, Ricordi had successfully presented the finished poem to Verdi. This process took ten years from the time of Aida's success until the first drafts were even considered by the reluctant master.
Arrigo Boito began work on the libretto despite suffering from illness during the early stages of their partnership. By late October or early November 1879 he sent a copy of the work so far to Ricordi. The Verdis met privately with Boito in September 1879 after Giuseppina confirmed that the African character pleased her husband. The project dragged on for five years before composition actually began in March 1884 at Genoa. During this period Boito sent chocolate cakes to Verdi three Christmases in a row featuring the figure of the Moor on top. This gesture led to the nickname chocolate being used for the project among insiders. Boito wrote to Verdi stating that his theme and libretto belonged to him by right of conquest.
Verdi composed the music in three comparatively short bouts between 1884 and 1885. The first brief session occurred at Genoa in March 1884 while the principal work happened there from December 1884 to April 1885. A final burst took place at Sant'Agata from mid-September to early October 1885. Scoring required another year starting in January 1886 involving rewrites and additions requested by the composer. On the 20th of March 1884 Boito announced that Verdi had begun working with fervor on the opening of the first act. By November 1886 Verdi proclaimed the opera finished in a laconic letter to Boito saying All honour to us. He then added Poor Othello! He won't come back here any more!!!
Otello premiered at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on the 5th of February 1887 under conductor Franco Faccio. Francesco Tamagno sang Otello while Victor Maurel played Iago and Romilda Pantaleoni portrayed Desdemona. The audience gave Verdi twenty curtain calls at the end of the performance proving his return was a resounding success. Further stagings followed quickly at leading theatres throughout Europe and America. The United States saw its first production at the Academy of Music in New York on the 16th of April 1888. Vienna hosted its premiere on the 14th of March 1888 with Hermann Winkelmann creating the title role. London received the work on the 5th of July 1889.
The three leading roles require extreme vocal power and dramatic intensity from performers over the past one hundred thirty years. Francesco Tamagno created the trumpet-voiced original Otello role despite leaving much to be desired according to Verdi's own letters. Plácido Domingo has appeared in more video productions than any other tenor since the opera's inception. Enrico Caruso studied the part before dying unexpectedly in 1921 which thwarted plans for a new Metropolitan Opera staging. Pre-Second World War Wagnerian tenors like Lauritz Melchior often performed it in German translation. Arnold Azrikan achieved greatest recognition as a dramatic tenor in this role earning him the Stalin Prize in 1946.
For many years white singers wore dark makeup when playing the character of Otello. The Metropolitan Opera stopped using blackface-style makeup in August 2015 after decades of practice. Some argued that applying dark makeup was merely costuming rather than true racist blackface. The decision led to calls for casting more people of color in opera productions globally. Modern institutions now face difficult choices regarding historical performance traditions versus contemporary social values. The controversy centers on whether the visual representation of the Moorish general should remain unchanged or evolve with current standards.
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Common questions
When did Giuseppe Verdi decide to end his career as an opera composer before returning for Otello?
Giuseppe Verdi decided to end his career as an opera composer in December 1871 after the premiere of Aida. He retreated into a decade-long retirement that left his Milan publisher Giulio Ricordi worried about lost talent and profits.
Who wrote the libretto for Otello and when did composition begin?
Arrigo Boito wrote the libretto for Otello despite suffering from illness during the early stages of their partnership. Composition actually began in March 1884 at Genoa after the project dragged on for five years.
Where and when did Otello premiere under conductor Franco Faccio?
Otello premiered at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on the 5th of February 1887 under conductor Franco Faccio. Francesco Tamagno sang Otello while Victor Maurel played Iago and Romilda Pantaleoni portrayed Desdemona.
Which tenor created the original trumpet-voiced role of Otello for Giuseppe Verdi?
Francesco Tamagno created the trumpet-voiced original Otello role despite leaving much to be desired according to Verdi's own letters. Plácido Domingo has appeared in more video productions than any other tenor since the opera's inception.
When did The Metropolitan Opera stop using blackface-style makeup for the character of Otello?
The Metropolitan Opera stopped using blackface-style makeup in August 2015 after decades of practice. Some argued that applying dark makeup was merely costuming rather than true racist blackface before this decision.