Nicolai was exploited by his musician father who attempted to force the young Otto into becoming a prodigy. Nicolai finally succeed in running away at the age of sixteen. He studied with Zeltner in Berlin and Baini in Rome where he also became the organist to the Embassy of Prussia. During his abbreviated musical lifetime Nicolai demonstrated a fine voice, conducting skills and felicitous compositional phrasings and melodies. While in service to the Prussian court he was exposed to the theatre and gave up on his contrapuntal studies. Through his operatic work he made a reputation in both Turin and Trieste and eventually became the conductor of the Hofoper in Vienna from 1841 until 1847. He became known for his uncompromising standards especially in choosing librettos. After establishing the Vienna Philharmonic Concerts Nicolai left for Berlin in 1848. The year of his death brought the completion and production of "Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor" (The Merry Wives of Windsor) and perhaps Nicolai's greatest work. The opera is an indication of the German Romantic within him ever trying to come to terms with his own keen intellect and constant search for a creative imagination. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi