Giuseppe Verdi

Otello: Act II, Aria: Era la notte, Cassio dormiva

Otello marked Giuseppe Verdi's (1813-1901) return to composing following his first retirement after writing AIDA. This retelling of Shakespeare's classic revenge tale was originally titled IAGO, after the Moorish general's villainous subordinate, so as to prevent confusion with Rossini's OTELLO. Iago, upset with Otello's decision to promote the younger soldier Cassio over him, devises a plot to convince Otello that his wife Desdemona has been unfaithful to him while implicating Cassio in her infidelity. The jealous Otello strangles his wife just before learning the truth about Iago's plot, after which he kills himself. The notoriously difficult title tenor role has been played by such luminaries as Ramon Vinay, Placido Domingo, and more recently, Russell Thomas. The opera premiered on February 5, 1887, at La Scala in Milan. This aria and duetto occur at the climax of Act II, where Iago deepens Otello's jealousy by falsely recounting Cassio's supposed dream about Desdemona ("Era la notte, Cassio dormiva"), poisoning Otello's mind with insinuation and deceit. The act culminates in the electrifying duet "Sv¨, pel ciel marmoreo giuro!" in which Otello and Iago swear vengeance together, sealing the tragic course of the drama. Today these scenes stand among the most celebrated moments in the operatic repertoire. Instrumentation: 2+1(Picc dF3).2.2+1(BCl).4: 4.2+2Crnt.4.0: Timp.Perc(1): Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Soli Tenor.Baritone. Reprint edition.