Hateful Iago sabotages Otello's marriage, with many tragic results.
Director: Keith Warner
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Stars: Maria Agresta, Jonas Kaufmann, Marco Vratogna
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8212966/
Time: end of 15th century
Place: Cyprus
First performance at Milan, February 5, 1887
Prior operas watched, both starring Placido Domingo:
Verdi: Otello (1986), 8 (Zeffirelli film),
Verdi: Otello (1992), 7 (stage performance at Covent Garden.)
I've watched 4 productions of the play so far, and that's more familiar to me today.
I'm impressed with JH (b. '69), a worthy successor to PD; they did nothing to make his skin look dark. MA was good as Desdemona, and MV is fine as Iago.
I don't remember if this is an opera vs play thing, or is specific to this production:
1) Iago is very explicit about his hatred for O being for promoting Cassio over him.
2) I didn't see anything about D's father, nor any cause for O to immediately throw D under the bus.
I definitely got whiplash again from seeing O as the competent general disciplining his men for their brawl, then turned on a dime into the simpering jealous blob. Especially crazy because he's young, handsome and white.
I've seen some O's wearing a cross; this production made me wonder if D's death is in some sense an honor killing. I don't remember any allusion to that in any production.
My fascination with this story continues.
Rated (none)
RoyalOpera, cond. Pappano; 8-
