Verdi's Otello and Simon Boccanegra (Revised Version) in Letters and Documents

Abstract

The letters, documents and appendices in this study, many of which appear in English translation for the first time, shed new light on the creation and early productions of Verdi's Otello and of the revised version of Simon Boccanegra. The book is based mainly on Verdi's correspondence with his librettist, Arrigo Boito, and their publisher Giulio Ricordi, spanning the years from the inception of Otello in 1879 to its premiere in Milan in 1887 and its first performance at the Paris Opera in 1894. The documents include the production books for Simon Boccanegra and Otello, reviews of the two operas by critics present at early performances and by more recent critics, studies of the historical and literary sources of Simon Boccanegra and Shakespeare's Othello and chronologies of the lives of Verdi and Boito. This collection is aimed at both at students of Verdi's late works and also opera producers, conductors and singers.