Around the world with Irina: otello

Verdi transformed turned his opera on Shakespeare's play into a timeless drama of moonlit lyricism and savage violence. Renée Fleming returns to Paris Opera in the role of Desdemona alongside Aleksandrs Antonenko. Only that on the day I was there there was a strike. Thank God the performers had nothing to complain about. It was the employee's strike. There were no sets, no special lighting. It was opera in concert. But it was perfect. Great Renee!

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Marco Armiliato Conductor
Andrei Serban Stage director
Peter Pabst Sets
Graciela Galán Costumes
Joël Hourbeigt Lighting
Alessandro Di Stefano Chorus master

Aleksandrs Antonenko Otello
Lucio Gallo Jago
Michael Fabiano Cassio
Francisco Almanza Roderigo
Carlo Cigni Lodovico
Roberto Tagliavini Montano
Renée Fleming Desdemona
Nona Javakhidze Emilia

Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Maîtrise des Hauts-De-Seine / Paris Opera Children's Chorus
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Bucharest National Opera
Series "Opera and Ballet"
OTELLO by Giuseppe Verdi
Choir and orchestra of the Cluj National Opera
Director: MIHAI MANIUTIU
Sets and Costumes: VALENTIN CODOIU
Lights: JENEL MOLDOVAN
Conductor: MIGUEL GOMEZ - MARTINEZ
Conductor of the choir: VLADIMIR POPEAN
Musical preparation: HORVATH JOZSEF
Production: FULOP EMERIC
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Soloists:
Otello - FRANCO FARINA
Iago - ALBERTO GAZALE
Cassio - SORIN LUPU
Roderigo - FLORIN POP
Lodovico - MIRCEA MOISA
Montano - STEFAN SCHULLER (Bucharest Opera House)
Un herald - ALIN ANCA
Desdemona - CARMEN GURBAN
Emilia - LILIANA NECIU
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......I saw this opera one week ago. And since then I've been going to almost all the concert in the Festival. So I was a little behind with posting pictures. But these are really nice and I hope you'll enjoy them.

......Now it's too late to add comments. I heard so many things about this production. Both positive and negative. If you ask me, I would have called it, speaking only about this night, Iago. Mr Gazale was the best on stage. Closely follwed by Mrs Carmen Gurban. That willow aria follwed by Ave Maria were the best moments of the last act.

......I'll divide my observations into two categories: Pros and Cons and I'll start with Cons.

Cons

- that strange mixture of SF and traditional (costumes and sets). It was strage and everybody picked up whatever he/she liked. From that Star Trek opening to the "bed" and the red pole behind the bed, the stained glass, the fire on the edges of the stage in the last act (Otello's coat almost got on fire) and so on

- acting for some of the characters. I felt ...or better said, I didn't feel anything. They were so busy following the conductor's hand that they forgot to act

- the sudden death of the six men, right after Otello (?!?!)

- Desdemona dies strangled. Here she dies twice. Once strangled and again, stabbed

- too many intervals (3, but if this was the vision of the director, that's it). So it lasted a little bit too long. I saw it with only two intervals and it was 3 hours and 15 minutes. Now it was 4 hours. Because of this a lot of people left after the third act in order to get to the Athenaeum for the next concert which was scheduled at 10:30pm.

Pros

- Iago, aka Alberto Gazale

- Desdemona, aka Carmen Gurban

- Emilia, aka Liliana Neciu (very nice voice. It's the first time I listen to her)

- the chorus and orchestra (most of the time)

......This was the second modern Otello. I'm still waiting for a traditional one. I'm not against modern productions (see Luisa Miller in Munich post) but if they're too strange and don't send the right message, this can be disturbing for the music and overall impression.

......There is a small video here, for those who'd like to see how it was. It was filmed by TVR and broadcasted at TVR Cultural. In the article they mentioned somebody else for the part of Desdemona.

.....And another comment published in Cotidianul. The author is Costin Popa.

Romanian Opera in Bucharest