Sat. 1 pm. ET WRUU – 107.5 is Savannah’s home for this radio tradition that goes back to 1931. Otello by Giuseppe Verdi based on William Shakespeare’s play. 01/05/2018
Otello, opera in four acts by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito) that premiered at La Scala opera house in Milan on February 5, 1887. Based on William Shakespeare’s play Othello, the opera was Verdi’s next-to-last and brought the composer to the peak of his dramatic power.Othello [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Otello-opera-by-Verdi]
(The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603. It is based on the story Un Capitano Moro (“A Moorish Captain”) by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565.
Left alone with Otello, Iago fans the flames of the governor’s suspicions by inventing a story of how Cassio had spoken of Desdemona in his sleep, and how he saw her handkerchief in Cassio’s hand. Seething with jealousy, Otello is now convinced that his wife is unfaithful.
Aria Code: Rhiannon Giddens helps reveal the magic of opera, one aria at a time, in a new podcast from WQXR and the Metropolitan Opera.The legendary Plácido Domingo says he’s not a jealous guy, but he must know something about what Shakespeare called “the green-eyed monster” since he’s played Otello more than 200 times.
