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Verdi:OtelloRating:
Release Date: 13 April, 2004 Retail Price: $29.98 OUR Price: $26.99 You SAVE: $2.99! Cast: |
Verdi:Otello Reviews
A powerful Otello
Domingo is most certanly the best Otello so far. He really is the angry, jealous Moor. In this recording, from the Met Opera, we can really see that he understands the role and plays it superbly. Altdough a bit older, he still has the power to do it better than anybody else. He is especially good in Act 2, showing all the power (and the dificulty) of the role. With Domingo I like that his superb singing is accompanied by good acting, the fact that he feels tha stage, and all in all gives a splendid performance.
He is accompanied by James Morris, who is a fairly good Iago. When in comes to singing I actually prefer Justino Diaz (because his voice is deeper), but Mooris looks good, looks evil and cold ( especially when he sings "Credo in Dio..." and I find him to be good enough. He seems to be a good partner with Domingo, I think because he is a bit taller, that way realy giving the impression of power over Otello.
Rene� Fleming is a high quality Desdemona. Her voice is strong when needed and soft when needed. Fleming is also a good actress. Combined with Domingo, they give a hell of a performance.
They are all accompanied by other good singers, making this Othello one that a true Verdian should have.
The Orchestra and the Chorus of the Metropilitan Opera are good, not as good as La Scala, but good. They are powerful enough, and seem to enjoy their work.
James Levine seems to be an expert on Othello. Although he runs it a bit faster (than Maazel or Muti), he makes it a high quality performance.
This is a good performance of Verdi's masterpiece, and especially if you are an operatic beguiner, you should have it.
Enjoy
The cream of Domingo on DVD as Otello
I've seen three DVD's featuring Placido Domingo in the title role: 1992 (Covent Garden), 1995 (The Met), and 2001 (La Scala). They are all high quality and worth owning but, in my opinion, this Met production has the best Desdemona (Renee Fleming), the best Iago (James Morris), and a stunning performance by Placido Domingo.
Some comparisons. Domingo's voice is clearest and most effortless in the Covent Garden production. But his understanding of the role deepens dramatically between 1992 and 1995. By 2001, he embodies Otello, but his voice is not as full-bodied and is strained in places. His overall best performance is in this 1995 production. This conclusion is not just a compromise between when he's youngest in voice (1992) and most experienced in acting (2001). In Acts III and IV of The Met production, it feels as if Domingo is no longer performing; he becomes Otello. Words are inadequate to describe him here; it simply has to be experienced. His work in Otello's Act III soliloquy, the brief "Dio! Mi potevi," is one of the finest two minutes I've seen in opera. And he is simply spellbinding in Act IV, as he crawls dying toward Desdemona, crying out for a kiss while the "kiss theme" from their Act I duet plays.
The three Desdemona's are Kiri Te Kanawa (1992 Covent Garden), Renee Fleming (1995 The Met), and Barbara Frittoli (2001 La Scala). All excel in different ways. Desdemona is a challenge to play. It's hard to convince an audience that she would so submissively accept the unjust fate she knows is about to befall her. Perhaps her love for Otello is so strong, she believes it will eventually bring him to his senses. Perhaps she's in a steadily increasing state of shock over his irrational behavior, shock that prevents her from acting. Perhaps she sees no choice but to accept whatever consequence follows from her bold move of having left her homeland to follow the Moor. These are but three possible approaches to the role.
For purity of voice and lyrical quality, Te Kanawa (Covent Garden) is unsurpassed, but her acting is weak. Some might call her portrayal of Desdemona restrained; I find it too wooden. But it's worth seeing Te Kanawa to hear the purity of her voice, especially in Act IV's "Ave Maria" prayer. Frittoli (La Scala) has a beautiful dark and dusky voice, and her portrayal of Desdemona as young and naive is moving.
But Fleming's Met performance surpasses the other two. Her voice is more expressive and she's a better actress. In Otello and Desdemona's Act I duet, "Gia nella notte densa," I can hardly breathe when Fleming and Domingo get to the kiss. The tenderness between them is palpable. In their duet and her "first tears" solo at the beginning of Act III, Fleming's combination of incomprehension, pain, and fear is heartrending. In Act IV, Fleming draws us to her sadly but quietly in the Willow Song only to stun us with her cry of terror at the end: "Ah! Emilia addio, Emilia, addio." I've read that this one short cry must communicate all the passion of an entire song. That's a tall order and, in my opinion, only Fleming pulls it off.
Frittoli (La Scala) plays Desdemona as in an increasing state of shock. It's believable and effective, but Fleming's performance is deeper because it's multi-layered. To flesh out the character, I think Fleming incorporates all three of the approaches I described above, making Desdemona a more complex woman.
A performer can take several approaches to Iago. There is no subtlety in Sergei Leiferkus' approach (Covent Garden). He exudes slimy evil intent, looking crazed at times. I think there's also a sexual component to his characterization (whether aimed at Desdemona or Otello, I couldn't say). Leo Nucci (La Scala) takes a more traditional approach to Iago, playing him as a nasty schemer. But once again, I prefer The Met production's James Morris. His Iago is the most frightening to me because he's seemingly so personable around Otello. His smile and his smooth baritone voice run chills down my spine.
I prefer The Met DVD over the others, but you can't go wrong with any of the three. Bottom line, I recommend you don't miss Domingo as Otello in this powerful Verdi opera.
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