Premiere of Verdi's Otello at La Scala (1884–1887)

Giuseppe Verdi's opera Otello, an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito based on Shakespeare, premiered at La Scala in Milan on 5 February 1887. The work, Verdi's penultimate opera, was a resounding success, leading to subsequent stagings across Europe and America. Key cast members from the premiere, including Francesco Tamagno and Romilda Pantaleoni, later performed in other cities.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, following his success with Aida. The composition began in 1884, five years after the first drafts, and was completed in late 1885, with scoring taking another year involving librettist re-writes.

Premiere. La Scala announced in 1886 that it would host the premiere of Otello. The opera was triumphantly premiered at La Scala in Milan on 5 February 1887. The premiere proved to be a resounding success, prompting further stagings at leading theatres throughout Europe and America in the following years.

Cast. The world premiere cast included Francesco Tamagno as Otello, Romilda Pantaleoni as Desdemona, and Delfino Menotti as Iago. These singers later performed main roles in subsequent productions, such as in Buenos Aires in 1888, where Tamagno and Pantaleoni appeared with different colleagues.

People involved

Sources

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