Met Opera: Otello
A scene from Verdi's "Otello". Photographed by Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera
Otello
by Giuseppe Verdi
Conducting sensation Gustavo Dudamel makes his Met debut leading Verdi’s towering Shakespearean masterpiece.
Often cited as Italian opera’s greatest tragedy, Otello is a miraculous union of music and drama - a masterpiece as profound philosophically as it is thrilling theatrically. The cast includes dynamic tenor Stuart Skelton in the title role, star soprano Sonya Yoncheva as the devoted but doomed Desdemona, and outstanding baritone Željko Lučić as the treacherous Iago.
All three lead roles are demanding, but the role of Otello in particular requires an astounding natural instrument capable of both powerful and delicate sounds, superb musical intelligence, and impressive acting abilities.
Otello is set on the island of Cyprus, originally in the late 15th century. The island itself represents an outpost of a European power under constant attack from an encroaching, hostile adversary. The current production by Bartlett Sher moves the action to the time of the opera’s creation.
CONDUCTOR: Gustavo Dudamel
Cast:
DESDEMONA: Sonya Yoncheva
EMILIA: Jennifer Johnson Cano
OTELLO: Stuart Skelton
CASSIO: Alexey Dolgov
IAGO: Željko Lučić
LODOVICO: James Morris
Start time: 10:00am on Capital Public Radio.
Approximate running time 2 hrs 55 min
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