José Cura accepted the offer from the director of the National Theatre Jan Burian and director of the National Theatre Opera and the State Opera Silvie Hroncová to perform the title role of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Otello on Thursday, January 29 and Tuesday, February 24, 2015. Giuseppe Verdi — A key role in the origination of Verdi’s penultimate opera, Otello, was played by the composer’s publisher Giulio Ricordi. After completing Aida in 1871, Verdi decided to abandon his extremely successful operatic career. Naturally, Ricordi did not take kindly to this, but he did know how to change Verdi’s mind — by offering the composer a libretto he simply would not be able to resist. Verdi’s great admiration of Shakespeare was generally known, and hence Ricordi cannily turned his attention to Othello and chose the renowned librettist Arrigo Boito. On 1 November 1886, Verdi completed the score. He was convinced that he and Boito had created a masterpiece — and he was right. 29. 1. 2015 24. 2. 2015 12. 3. 2015 14. 4. 2015
