Editing Otello (section)

===Verdi is introduced to the idea of ''Otello''===
[[File:Boito e Verdi.jpg|thumb|Boito and Verdi at Sant'Agata]]
Verdi visited Milan on 30 June 1879, and conducted his ''[[Requiem (Verdi)|Requiem Mass]]'' in a benefit performance at La Scala. He received the great acclaim of the public, which included the La Scala orchestra playing outside his hotel. Walker assumes that it was both Ricordi and Faccio who stage managed the effects to give the composer the sense of being welcome and respected in Milan.{{sfn|Walker|1982|p=473}}

Finally, after some plotting, Ricordi, in conjunction with Verdi's friend, the conductor [[Franco Faccio]], subtly introduced the idea of a new opera to Verdi. During a dinner at Verdi's Milan residence during the summer of 1879, Ricordi and Faccio guided the conversation towards Shakespeare's play ''[[Othello]]'' and to the [[libretto|librettist]] [[Arrigo Boito]] (whom Ricordi claimed to be a great fan of the play also). Ricordi told the story to [[Giuseppe Adami]], a librettist for three of [[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]]'s operas:<blockquote>
The idea of a new opera arose during a dinner among friends, when I turned the conversation, by chance, on Shakespeare and on Boito. At the mention of ''Othello'' I saw Verdi fix his eyes on me, with suspicion, but with interest. He had certainly understood; he had certainly reacted. I believed the time was ripe.<ref>Giuseppe Adami, ''Giulio Ricordi e I soi musicisti'', Milan, 1933, p. 64, in {{harvnb|Walker|1982|p=473}}</ref></blockquote>

Suggestions were made, despite initial skepticism on the part of the composer, that Boito would be interested in creating a new libretto based upon the play. Within several days, Ricordi approached Verdi with the request that he would like to visit Sant' Agata "with a friend" in September. Verdi's reaction was clearly non-committal: "I wish absolutely to avoid committing myself [...] The best thing ... is for him to send me the finished poem".<ref>Verdi to Ricordi, in {{harvnb|Walker|1982|pp=474–475}}</ref>

Meanwhile, Boito began work on the libretto in spite of illness and, by late October/early November had sent a copy of the work so far. After appealing to Giuseppina, Ricordi was told that the Verdis would be coming to Milan and that he would meet privately with Boito. However, she noted in her letter of 7 November: "Between ourselves, what Boito has so far written of the African seems to please him, and is very well done."<ref>Giuseppina Strepponi to Ricordi, 7 November 1879, in {{harvnb|Walker|1982|p=476}}</ref>

At this point the opera was being referred to as '''''Iago''''' rather than ''Otello'', due to the tradition—"an unwritten law of the theatre"{{sfn|Budden|1992|p=319}}—that any new opera would have a new title rather than that of one still in the repertoire, in this case [[Otello (Rossini)|by Rossini]].