- Written in 1816 (just after Rossini wrote The Barber of Seville), Rossini’s dramatic 3-act opera based on the Shakespeare play would eventually be overshadowed by Verdi’s Otello a few decades later.
- Fun fact: Verdi himself considered Rossini’s Otello a masterpiece.
- The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Berio di Salsa.1
- One theory why Verdi’s version of the Shakespearean tale has superseded Rossini’s version is that Verdi’s opera is more loyal to Shakespeare’s text.
- There is also the timing of the premiere – Rossini’s Otello was sandwiched between two wildly successful comic works by the composer: The Barber of Seville and Cinderella.2
Sources
- “Otello (Rossini, Gioacchino),” IMSLP, accessed February 26, 2025, https://imslp.org/wiki/Otello_(Rossini,_Gioacchino).
- Bruce Scott, “Rossini’s Overlooked ‘Otello,'” NPR Music (2011), accessed February 26, 2025, https://www.npr.org/2011/06/10/137083345/rossinis-overlooked-otello.
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