How does the music of Verdi’s Otello differ from operas built from separate arias and recitatives?

Unlike operas structured around distinct, stand-alone arias and recitatives, Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello (1887) is characterized by a seamless musical-dramatic flow.1

By the time Verdi composed Otello, he had achieved full control over the integration of musical and dramatic components. Utilizing a libretto by Arrigo Boito that offered significant flexibility, Verdi moved away from the conventional operatic structure of segmented numbers. Instead, he employed nuanced orchestration and harmony to underscore character development and emotion throughout the work. This approach creates a continuous, unified experience rather than a series of interrupted musical pieces, which contributes to the opera's reputation as a monument of the genre, despite the increased demands it places on performers' stamina and vocal flexibility.1