Description
This lecture will discuss the history and creation of Verdi’s next to last opera Otello. It is considered by many to be the greatest Italian dramatic opera of the 19th century. We will examine historic recordings and more recent videos. We will hear a recording of the first Otello who premiered the role in 1887, and some audio clips from a 1947 broadcast of the complete opera conducted by Arturo Toscanini who played in the LaScala orchestra for the premiere.