Verdi’s Otello - Act II finale (Jonas Kaufmann and Marco Vratogna, The Royal Opera)

Jonas Kaufmann and Marco Vratogna sing ’Si, pel ciel marmoreo giuro’ from Verdi’s Otello in Keith Warner’s production (2017) Find out more at Otello is Verdi’s final tragedy. After astonishing productivity in his early career, the composer slowed in later life; more than fifteen years separate Otello and its predecessor, Aida, although Verdi revised his earlier works Simon Boccanegra and Don Carlo in the interim. He was lured out of retirement by the composer and librettist Arrigo Boito, who tempted him with a proposal that was very close to Verdi’s heart: Shakespeare’s Othello. Boito adapted the libretto from Shakespeare’s play, with much intervention from Verdi. As the latest utterance from the master of Italian opera, the 1887 premiere was an instant success – but, more than that, Otello has been an important part of the international opera repertory ever since. The Italian musical landscape had changed during Verdi’s period of isolation, with many