h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I would dispute that Four Last Pieces are well-known. They are really four separate pieces which Verdi wrote, which don't fit into any category so they were bunged together by the musical community after he died. They were not written to be performed together and are in fact often performed separately.

Otello shows Verdi's complete conversion to the Wagnerian style of opera writing, with continuous music, recitative backed by orchestra, lack of arias, leitmotive ("do ti la la" is Desdemono, for example) and vast orchestra. While the title (tenor) role is very demanding, the bass Iago is almost as difficult. Many people feel this is as much about Iago as it is about Otello.

I've scrapped the Four Last Pieces. I'm still thinking about how to put in the Wagnerian references - Verdi himself was apparently highly insulted by being compared to Wagner. This is taking a lot longer than I expected!
Azara