Questioned by the young artists of Milan’s _scapigliatura_, who were dismissive of the Italian tradition and seduced by the Wagnerian siren song, Verdi abandoned opera composition after _Aida_ premiered in 1871. However, his fascination with Shakespeare led him to break his promise, and he presented _Otello_ sixteen years later. With this incendiary, bold score, Verdi silenced his naysayers and created the most challenging tenor role in the lyric repertoire. David Alden’s production, set in a territory devastated by war, moves the action to a place where impunity prevails, where envy and lies degenerate into a sinister spiral of brutality and destruction.