Presented as part of Cincinnati Opera’s Winter Festival
Following the triumphant reception of Aida, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi retired to his country estate at the height of his fame and popularity. Yet his wife and friends remained convinced Verdi should write another new work and spent the next decade coaxing him into partnership with a talented young librettist. The result: the composer’s late-career masterpiece Otello, now considered one of the great Shakespearean-based operas. Inspired by this touching true story, Julian Mitchell’s acclaimed play is presented in collaboration with Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati in a reading featuring several popular Cincinnati actors, led by Bruce Cromer as Verdi. The gripping, humorous, and loving tale integrates musical excerpts, providing a compelling peek behind opera’s curtain and a humanizing portrait of one of its great artists.