Despite the trailer’s music, Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello isn’t directly related to the novel—aside from providing inspiration for our hero’s first name (‘Leon’). It’s just that I’ve always found the end of Act III fascinating. The musical triumph of evil Iago over the fallen Lion of Venice embodies what every drama, regardless of its medium, should achieve—leaving the audience in awe of the villain. We’ve encountered numerous great villains in books and movies, but in my opinion, Verdi’s (and Boito’s) musical portrayal of Iago surpasses them all. What better tune to tease a villain I can’t reveal much about?

I apologize for the poorly synthesized version used in the trailer. I simply couldn’t locate a public-domain recording of the piece. Please cleanse your auditory palate with the excerpt below.

As you might have noticed, several character names are borrowed from Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. If you’re familiar with the piece, you might easily recognize a few ‘winks’ to Gilbert’s lyrics within the novel as well.

The final musical reference is for you to discover. In Chapter 9, I describe a well-known musical passage that our hero briefly hears. Would you be able to guess the name of the piece if I mention that Lund actually encountered its composer back in Chapter 6? (Hint: It’s not Néstor Álamo; pay attention to the other statues along the way.)

Solution