Opera in Four Acts on a Libretto by Arrigo Boito, Based on the Play Othello by William Shakespeare Otello is the opera that, at its premiere at La Scala in Milan in 1887, prompted the audience to call the performers back to the stage no fewer than 20 times, with the exclamation: “VIVA Verdi!” – a composer whose name is synonymous with opera. Verdi's creation par excellence represents an astonishing ...