(Photo: ROF/Amati Bacciardi) Without memories we are nothing but an empty shell. They define our sense of self. It is only through memory that we can make any sense of what is around us. It allows us to rationalize and contextualize tragic events, to enjoy the present, and to project the consequence of our actions into the future. Yet, memory {…}
Photo: Clive Barda 2022 ROH This first revival of Keith Warner’s production of Verdi’s “Otello” (libretto by longstanding collaborator Arrigo Boito) comes with a frisson of contextual excitement. Warner’s expressionist production opened in 2017 starring Gregory Kunde and Jonas Kaufmann, and tried to give the piece a more existentialist reading that turned away from the problems that skin color presents {…}
This week the Teatro Comunale di Bologna is set to open a new production of Verdi’s masterpiece “Otello.” The company will present the opera with two starry casts including veteran singers and some rising stars. In the role of Desdemona, Mariangela Sicilia will sing her first Desdemona. A frequent guest of the Teatro Comunale, the soprano studied in the company’s {…}
The Bucharest National Opera is set to present Verdi’s “Otello” starting on June 8, 2022. The opera will be conducted by Christian Badea and stars Arsen Soghomonyan, Hrachuhí Bassénz, and Vladislav Sulimsky. Soghomonyan will take on the title role. He has appeared at such companies as the Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Berliner Philharmoniker. Bassénz will interpret Desdemona and has appeared with {…}
(Photo credit: Prudence Upton) Whose version of “Othello” is better – Shakespeare’s or Verdi’s? You could have a good argument with someone over this. In Verdi’s opera, Iago is more overtly a villain (he says so in Act two’s “Credo in Dio crudel”) and there are potentially more shades to Otello, whose long speeches in Shakespeare’s “Othello” can too easily {…}
The Greek National Opera has announced a new date for the premiere of its upcoming production of “Otello.” The company said that due to delays caused by the recent severe weather in Athens, the new dates for the production will be Feb. 23, 27 & March 2, 5, 8, 2022. The opera, which is the Greek premiere of a co-production {…}
The Greek National Opera, in co-production with Festspiel BadenBaden, will present a new production of Verdi’s “Otello” between Feb. 20 through March 6 at Stavros Niarchos, Athens. The production, which will run for five total performances, will be directed by Robert Wilson, in his company debut, with a cast led by Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko, soprano Cellia Costea, and baritone {…}
The Opera Royal de Liege Wallonie staged a brand-new production of Rossini’s “Otello.” The once-popular opera used to be performed worldwide in Rossini’s time but disappeared from the repertoire completely when Verdi’s “Otello” premiered in 1887. But that wasn’t all. Rossini’s version also fell out of the rotation for the same reasons many bel canto works disappeared: the realism and {…}
(Credit: Staatsoper Hannover official website) The Staatsoper Hannover has announced that it has been forced to reschedule its performances in January 2022. The opera house has canceled the performances of Bizet’s “Carmen” on Dec. 18 & 28, 2021, and Jan. 7 & 27, 2022. The opera was set to star Rodrigo Porras Garulo, Barno Ismatullaeva, Kiandra Howarth, Germán Olvera, Daniel {…}
(Photo: L.Romano) On Fridays, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most essential topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. This year, Jonas Kaufmann and Maria Agresta open the season at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli with the new stunning production of “Otello,” directed by Mario Martone. {…}
The Town Hall and PREformances Chamber Music Collaborative are set to present a unique virtual performance of Verdi’s masterpiece “Otello.” The showcase, which is set to kick off on Nov. 18, will be part of a series that presents operas in under an hour and features a diverse array of singers from around the world. “Otello” will be headlined by {…}