Otto Nicolai

19th-Century German Opera Composer and Conductor

Otto Nicolai (1810–1849) was a German composer and conductor, best known for his operatic works. He is particularly famous for his opera "Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor" (The Merry Wives of Windsor), which was based on the play by William Shakespeare. Nicolai's career was marked by his ability to blend Italianate melodic writing with Germanic forms and structures, which made his work quite distinctive during the Romantic era. Before achieving success as a composer, Nicolai held various musical positions, including Kapellmeister at the Vienna Court Opera. Although he did not produce albums in the modern sense, as he lived in the 19th century before recorded music was invented, his compositions have been widely performed and recorded by various artists and orchestras in the years since his death.