CHAPTER VIII

THIRD PERIOD OPERAS

A matured style--Methuselah of opera--The last link--_Aïda_--A higher art plane--Ismail Pacha commissions _Aïda_--Its libretto--Production at Cairo--The argument--Patti as _Aïda_--_Athenæum_ criticism of _Aïda_--_Otello_--Scene in Milan--The initial cast--Its production and reception in London and Paris--_Athenæum_ review of _Otello_--Its story--Vocal and instrumental qualities--_Falstaff_--A surprise defeated--Boito--_Falstaff_ produced at La Scala--In France--_Falstaff_ at Covent Garden--The comedy and its music--_Athenæum_ opinion of _Falstaff_--A crowning triumph 167