Biography
Otto Nicolai endured exploitation from his musician father, who sought to mold the boy into a child prodigy. At sixteen he finally escaped. He trained under Zeltner in Berlin and Baini in Rome, where he also served as organist for the Prussian Embassy. In his brief musical career Nicolai revealed a strong voice, skill on the podium, and a gift for graceful melodic lines and phrasing. Court service in Prussia acquainted him with the stage, prompting him to abandon contrapuntal studies. His operas brought recognition in Turin and Trieste and led to his appointment as conductor of the Hofoper in Vienna, a post he occupied from 1841 to 1847. He gained a reputation for exacting standards, above all in the choice of librettos. After founding the Vienna Philharmonic Concerts he moved to Berlin in 1848. The year of his death saw the completion and staging of “Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor” (The Merry Wives of Windsor), perhaps his crowning achievement. The work reveals the German Romantic in Nicolai forever negotiating between his incisive intellect and his restless search for imaginative invention.
Albums
Singles
