Otello (opera) facts for kids

The Act 3 set at the 1887 premiere in Milan. Illustration by Ed. Ximenes after the original stage design by Carlo Ferrario.

Otello is an Italian opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto is by Arrigo Boito, based on William Shakespeare's play Othello. It was first performed in Milan on February 5, 1887. The work is widely regarded as one of the greatest of music-dramas. Famous interpreters of the role have included Mario Del Monaco, Jon Vickers and Placido Domingo.

Principal characters

Giuseppe Verdi c. 1870
Boito and Verdi at Sant'Agata
Francesco Tamagno as Otello in a costume designed by Alfred Edel for the original production
Costume design by Alfredo Edel for Desdemona in Act IV
Romilda Pantaleoni, the first Desdemona
Otello, act 1. Teatro Costanzi Rome-1887; set design by Giovanni Zuccarelli
Arnold Azrikan as Otello
Otello: set design by Giovanni Zuccarelli for Act IV as staged at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome, 1887.
Illustration from Le Monde illustré of the 1894 Paris premiere
Set-design model by Marcel Jambon for Act 1 of the Paris premiere