This is a list of audio and video recordings (discography) of Giuseppe Verdi's 1887 opera Otello.
Recordings of excerpts, i.e., individual arias, duets and scenes from Otello, are not included. Many such recordings of celebrated tenors, baritones and sopranos have been reissued on CD and make for fascinating comparative listening. Recordings made in the early 1900s by the creators of the roles of Otello and Iago, namely Francesco Tamagno and Victor Maurel, are among those now available in digital formats.
In 1969, the English music critic Harold Rosenthal contended that among recordings of the complete opera, a 1947 recording of an NBC radio broadcast of the opera conducted by Arturo Toscanini and featuring singers Herva Nelli, Ramón Vinay and Giuseppe Valdengo, was musically one the best of the available versions.Harold Rosenthal (1969). "'Otellos' Old and New". Opera (London), Vol. 20, No. 12 (December 1969), p. 1080: "I still rank the Toscanini Otello with the famous Scala Tosca recording under De Sabata, as one of the finest opera recordings ever made — not of course comparable technically with the modern stereophonic achievements — but possessing a ...". RCA Victor has issued the Toscanini recording several times on commercial LPs and on CD in digitally remastered form. In addition, performances of Otello were captured live as early as the 1920s (at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London) and the 1930s (at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City, the latter via the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts). They, too, are available on CD reissues.
Audio recordings YearCast(Otello,Desdemona,Iago,Cassio,Emilia)Conductor,Opera house and orchestraLabelRecordings on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk1931–1932Nicola FusatiMaria CarboneApollo GranfortePiero GirardiTamara BeltacchiCarlo SabajnoLa Scala Orchestra and ChorusCD: Preiser RecordsCat: 200121938Giovanni MartinelliElisabeth RethbergLawrence TibbettNicholas MassueThelma VotipkaEttore PanizzaMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorusCD: Naxos HistoricalCat: 8.111018-191941Giovanni MartinelliStella RomanLawrence TibbettAlessio de PaolisThelma VotipkaEttore PanizzaMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorusCD: ArkadiaCat: 500031944Torsten RalfHilde KonetzniPaul SchöfflerJosef WittElena NikolaidiKarl BöhmWiener Staatsoper orchestra and chorusPerformed in GermanCD: MytoCat: MCD 922.601946Torsten RalfStella RomanLeonard WarrenAlessio de PaolisMartha LiptonGeorge SzellMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorusCD: WalhallCat: WLCD 01071947Ramón VinayHerva NelliGiuseppe ValdengoVirginio AssandriNan MerrimanArturo ToscaniniNBC Symphony Orchestra and chorusLP: RCA VictorCat: LM-6107 Decca Cat: RB 16093-5 CD: RCA VictorCat: 603021948Giovanni MartinelliJune Haas-KellyCesare BardelliJohn Carmen RossiMildred IppolitoGiuseppe BamboschekOrchestra and chorus of La Scala OperaCD: GrammofonoCat: 2000 AB 78.935/361948Ramón VinayLicia AlbaneseLeonard WarrenJohn GarrisMartha LiptonFritz BuschMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorusCD: PreiserCat: 903771950Mario Del MonacoDelia RigalCarlos GuichandutEugenio ValoriEmma BrizziAntonino VottoTeatro Colon orchestra and chorusCD: MytoCat: 004 H0511951Ramón VinayCarla MartinisPaul SchöfflerAnton DermotaSieglinde WagnerWilhelm FurtwänglerVienna Philharmonic and Wiener Staatsoper chorusCD: EMICat: CMS 5 65751-21951Gino SarriAnna La PollaAntonio Manca SerraAthos CesariniAda LandiAlberto PaolettiTeatro dell'Opera di RomaCD: Preiser RecordsCat: 200311953-54Set SvanholmAase Nordmo-LovbergSigurd BjörlingArne OhlsonBette BjörlingSixten EhrlingKungliga Hovkapellet and chorusPerformed in SwedishCD: PreiserCat: 907541954Mario Del MonacoRenata TebaldiLeonard WarrenGiuseppe ZampieriAnna Maria CanaliAntonino VottoLa ScalaCD: MelodramCat: CDM 2701011954Mario Del MonacoRenata TebaldiAldo ProttiPiero de PalmaLuisa RibacchiAlberto EredeAccademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia orchestra and chorusCD: DeccaCat: 440 245-21955Ramón VinayGré BrouwenstijnOtakar KrausJohn LaniganNoreen BerryRafael KubelikRoyal Opera House Chorus and OrchestraCD: Royal Opera House HeritageCat: ROHS 0011958Mario Del MonacoVictoria de los AngelesLeonard WarrenPaul FrankeRosalind EliasFausto ClevaMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorusCD: PristineCat: Paco1541958Ramón VinayAntonietta StellaGiuseppe TaddeiItalo PasiniZaira NegroniThomas BeechamTeatro ColónCD: IDISCat: 6547/481959Mario Del MonacoGabriella TucciTito GobbiMariano CarusoAnna Di StasioAlberto EredeNHK Symphony Orchestra and ChorusCD: Opera d'Oro, OPD-1160.1960Mario Del MonacoFloriana CavalliTito GobbiAgostino LazzariDora MinarchiFranco CapuanaTeatro dell'Opera di RomaCD: MytoCat: 002671960Jon VickersLeonie RysanekTito GobbiFlorindo AndreolliMiriam PirazziniTullio SerafinRome Opera Orchestra and ChorusLP: RCA Gold SealCat: AGL3-1969CD: RCA Red SealCat: 88751963621961Mario Del MonacoRenata TebaldiAldo ProttiNello RomanatoAna Raquel SatreHerbert von KarajanWiener Philharmoniker and Wiener StaatsopernchorCD: DeccaCat: 0289411618261967James McCrackenMontserrat CaballéTito GobbiErmanno LorenziShirley LoveZubin MehtaMetropolitan Opera orchestra and chorusCD: Living StageCat: LS 40351751968James McCrackenGwyneth JonesDietrich Fischer-DieskauPiero de PalmaAnna Di StasioJohn BarbirolliPhilharmonia Orchestra and Ambrosian ChorusCD: EMICat: 652961973Jon VickersMirella FreniPeter GlossopAldo BottionStefania MalagùHerbert von KarajanBerliner Philharmoniker and Chor der Deutsche Oper BerlinCD: EMICat: CMS 769 30821976Plácido DomingoMirella FreniPiero CappuccilliGiuliano CiannellaJone JoriCarlos KleiberLa Scala Orchestra and ChorusCD: Opera d'OroCat: OPD 70051977Carlo CossuttaJulia VaradyPiero CappuccilliBenito MarescaGudrun WewezowCarlos KleiberBayerische StaatsoperCD: Golden MelodramCat: GM 5.00611977Carlo CossuttaMargaret PriceGabriel BacquierPeter DvorskýJane BerbiéGeorg SoltiWiener Philharmoniker Wiener Staatsoperchor and Wiener SängerknabenCD: DeccaCat: 440-045-21978Plácido DomingoRenata ScottoSherrill MilnesPaul CrookJean KraftJames LevineNational Philharmonic Orchestra and ChorusLP: RCA Red SealCat: CRL3-2951CD: RCA Red SealCat: 88837297221983Charles CraigRosalind PlowrightNeil HowlettBonaventura BottoneShelagh SquiresMark ElderEnglish National OperaPerformed in EnglishCD: ChandosCat: CHAN 30681987 Plácido DomingoAnna Tomowa-SintowRenato BrusonKaludi KaludovMargarita LilowaZubin MehtaChoir and Orchestra of the Vienna State OperaCD: OrfeoCat: C698072I1991Giuseppe GiacominiMargaret PriceMatteo ManuguerraDino Di DomenicoMartine MahéAlain LombardOrchestra National Bourdeaux AquitaineCD: ForlaneCat: 216 7741991Luciano PavarottiKiri Te KanawaLeo NucciElzbieta ArdamGeorg SoltiChicago Symphony Orchestra and ChorusCD: Decca (London)Cat: 433 669-21994Plácido DomingoCheryl StuderSergei LeiferkusRamón VargasDenyce GravesMyung-whun ChungOpéra Bastille, ParisCD: Deutsche GrammophonCat: 439 805-21996 Nicola MartinucciMiriam GauciEduard TumagianMauricio SeptienMabel PerelsteinAlexander RahbariBarcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of CataloniaCD: KochCat: DICD 929 435-62010Simon O'NeillAnne SchwanewilmsGerald FinleyAllan ClaytonEufemia TufanoColin DavisLondon Symphony Orchestra and chorusCD: LSO LiveCat: 07002013Aleksandrs AntoņenkoKrassimira StoyanovaCarlo GuelfiJuan Francisco GatellBarbara di CastriRiccardo MutiChicago Symphony Orchestra and ChorusCD: CSO ResoundCat: CSOR 901 13012014Robert Dean SmithRaffaella AngelettiSebastian CatanaLuis DámascoMarifé NogalesFriedrich HaiderOviedo FilarmoníaCD: NaxosCat: 8660357582017Nikolai SchukoffMelody MooreLester LynchJun Ho YouHelena ZubanovichLawrence FosterGulbenkian Orchestra and choirCD: PentatoneCat: PTC 51865622020Jonas Kaufmann,Federica LombardiCarlos ÁlvarezLiparit AvetisyanVirginie VerrezAntonio Pappano Chorus and Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa CeciliaCD: SonyCat:19439707932
Video recordings