While Verdi was an uneducated peasant (and proud of it, continuing to farm throughout his life), and strictly a composer, Boito was of royal birth, cosmopolitan and a respected critic, historian, poet – and composer his 1868 Mefistofele, based on the Faust legend, boasts an opulent prologue that ranks among the most thrilling scenes in all of opera. He had prepared the libretto for Amleto, an 1865 opera by Franco Faccio, who would emerge as Italy's finest conductor and would lead the world premiere of Otello. Yet, despite the necessary filters, his text has been hailed as Shakespearean, if not literally of Shakespeare. He, too, understood little English and thus could not appreciate (nor seek to emulate) the rhythm and sound of Shakespeare's words that have enthralled fans for centuries. The libretto for Otello was by Arrigo Boito (1842–1918). Late in life he finally struck gold with Otello. Prior to his full fame, in 1846 he had scored a mild success with a largely conventional Macbeth (heard nowadays in an 1865 revision), and in 1843, 1846, 18 he had struggled unsuccessfully with various attempts to realize King Lear. Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) was a life-long enthusiast of Shakespeare, albeit in Italian translation, as he had insufficient facility in English to understand the original texts. As Harold Schonberg aptly put it, most librettos are "literary trash set to unforgettable music." But when the source is Shakespeare, the qualitative gap between text and music abates. My abiding problem with opera is the trite stories, clichéd characters and simplistic themes that seem wholly unworthy of their magnificent setting. Our survey also explores Verdi's brilliant music, the fit of the words and music, an outline of the opera's structure, early recordings by creators and others, some historically significant complete recordings and some sources for further information. Verdi's masterpiece Otello not only was based on Shakespeare but benefited from a collaboration with Boito, who prepared a masterful libretto.
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