From "Celeste Aïda," Rhadames's apostrophe to his beloved, with which the opera opens, to "O, terra, addio; addio, valle di pianti!" (Oh, earth, farewell! Farewell, vale of tears!),
[[Listen]]
O terra addio; addio valle di pianti
which is the swan-song of Rhadames and Aïda, united in death in the stone-sealed vault,—such is the tragic fate of love, as set forth in this beautiful and eloquent score by Giuseppe Verdi.
OTELLO
OTHELLO
Opera in four acts, by Verdi. Words by Arrigo Boïto, after Shakespeare. Produced, La Scala, Milan, February 5, 1887, with Tamagno (Otello), and Maurel (Iago). London, Lyceum Theatre, July 5, 1889. New York, Academy of Music, under management of Italo Campanini, April 16, 1888, with Marconi, Tetrazzini, Galassi, and Scalchi. (Later in the engagement Marconi was succeeded by Campanini.); Metropolitan Opera House, 1894, with Tamagno, Albani, Maurel; 1902, Alvarez, Eames, and Scotti; later with Slezak, Alda, and Scotti; Manhattan Opera House, with Zenatello, Melba, and Sammarco.
Characters
| Othello, a Moor, general in the army of Venice | Tenor |
| Iago, ancient to Othello | Baritone |
| Cassio, lieutenant to Othello | Tenor |
| Roderigo, a Venetian | Tenor |
| Lodovico, Venetian ambassador | Bass |
| Montano, Othello's predecessor in the government of Cyprus | Bass |
| A Herald | Bass |
| Desdemona, wife of Othello | Soprano |
| Emilia, wife of Iago | Mezzo-Soprano |