Abstract
Shakespeare’s famous tragedy of jealousy is one of the great dramatic works in world literature – and it is perfectly matched by Giuseppe Verdi’s musical interpretation. Verdi’s quest for a modern musical drama with a specifically Italian character finds its perfect consummation in the opera Otello.
At the pinnacle of his glory and power, the blackamoor Othello, victorious general of the Venetian Republic, is brought down by the jealous cynic Jago. With diabolical pleasure, Jago foments Othello’s jealousy. The latter ultimately succumbs to the insinuations of his wife Desdemona’s alleged infidelity. However, “No compassion for Othello” is the surprising motto of Graham Vick’s production. The British director shows him as a modern-day desert warrior who has not really arrived in his new world. As an unpredictable despot and a black Moslem, he is in search of his own identity. His murder of Desdemona does not happen in the heat of passion, but is a calculated plan. The Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko is in demand as Othello on the great stages of the world, and has sung the role in a much-lauded CD recording under the direction of Riccardo Muti. With Maria Agresta as Desdemona, Željko Lučić as Jago and Marco Armiliato at the rostrum, he will have three celebrated Verdi performers at his side.