WNO’s Otello has an excellent cast, that coupled with Verdi’s music, made the drama work at some level and provided beautiful sound the entire evening.
I will also add that having the couple on the floor made it difficult to tell what Otello had actually done to her.
Old school, new school? And only in opera could Desdemona sing a gentle closing aria after being smoothered to death. At intermission when I asked him what he thought of the staging, he replied that it was cool it was an expressionistic staging he enjoyed. Let me also add that my son’s reaction was different. I will simply say that neither the set nor staging worked to draw me into the drama. A solo dancer (Claudio Agüero Mariño) gave an engaging provocative dance that seemed to have little to do with the story. The set and the costumes were supposed to be moved forward in time, unclear to what time period or for what purpose. Later, there was inexplicably a hole in the floor for fires.
The locking of arms of the chorus during the storm scene seemed odd to me and the strong lights creating shadows of the singers throughout the opera were distracting. The bare grey walls with a surprisingly displaceable back wall provided a plain set, which apparently was designed to help propel the sound out into the audience, a laudable objective in the design, but otherwise lacked features that might add to the story telling. It is a clear sign that the telling of the story is wanting for a modern audience.ĭirector David Alden’s set and staging compound this fundamental limitation with a set and staging that struck me as baffling. Nevertheless, it creates a stumble for the audience’s immersion in the drama. The line has become a victim of familiarity and the passage of time. The irony in certain lines becomes amusing when we know well the storylines of the opera and its conclusion. I think the audience response is the predictable result of presenting a work well known to opera fans, based on a Shakespearean play well known by virtually everyone. Librettist Arrigo Boito did not write a funny line or scene, so why does the audience laugh? There were laughs in a few other moments as well. So, why lead with a comment about a detail, a handkerchief which Iago portrays as evidence that Desdemona has been unfaithful to Otello? There is a scene in WNO’s season opening production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello where Iago tells Otello to pay attention to Desdemona’s handkerchief and there is a titter of laughter in the audience. “Verdi’s Mature Composition Style Amazes” “Strong Cast Carries an Entertaining Otello” Some alternate lead headers I might have used:
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