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music OMH, 22 Jun 2017 |
by Melanie Eskenazi |
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Verdi: Otello, Royal Opera House, London, 21. Juni 2017 |
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Otello @ Royal Opera House, London
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Esultate! Jonas Kaufmann made his role debut as Otello, there was actually a
bed for Desdemona to die on (or at least near) and the poor girl was
suffocated using what seemed to be the White Company’s finest, with Otello
himself resplendent in his best silky jammies. Not only Le tout Londres but
‘Tout le Monde’ seem to have turned out for this occasion, and were mostly
well pleased with the man they had mostly come to see and hear.
Keith
Warner’s production focuses strongly on Otello’s “…constant, loving, noble
nature” rather than his prowess in battle, an approach naturally suited to
Kaufmann’s sensitive, introspective style. This is not Domingo’s dominant
warrior, nor is it Skelton’s not-quite-noble savage but a volatile,
passionate, fatally trusting man. Thus, the opening cry of ‘Esultate!’ was
not a showpiece but very much a part of the whole, and Otello’s shattered
state was shown not by throwing the furniture about but by the gradual
ruination of his composure. It was beautifully delineated, most obviously in
Dio! mi potevi scagliar which found Kaufmann in fine voice after a slightly
nervous start, and since no one does quiet anguish better than he, it was
the final plea for one last kiss, with the ecstatic love music so
heartbreakingly recalled, which showed him at his best.
The sublime
duet in Act I lived up to expectations, with ‘Vien quest’immenso amor’ given
the most poetic emphasis, and Maria Agresta’s beautiful Desdemona partnering
Kaufmann with sweet tone and eloquent phrasing. At times she tended to
approach the notes a little from below, but as the evening progressed she
grew in confidence – the production makes no attempt to evoke the more
feisty side of Shakespeare’s character, so we saw a very vulnerable
Desdemona in keeping with the vision of her husband as an innocent betrayed.
Marco Vratogna’s Iago was not a mere villain of “motiveless malignity”
but an injured, vengeful, dangerous soldier; his Credo in un dio crudel was
powerfully characterized. His relationships with Frédéric Antoun’s elegantly
sung Cassio and Thomas Atkins’ despairing Roderigo were well drawn. His wife
was sung sweetly by Kai Rűűtel although she seemed a little under-directed
at times.
The chorus, under William Spaulding, produced a tremendous
wall of sound at the beginning and an ominous, brooding presence in Act III.
Thomas Barnard made much of the small role of the Herald, In Sung Sim was a
nobly dignified Lodovico and Simon Shibambu an impressive Montano. Antonio
Pappano clearly loves this music with a passion, and he led the orchestra in
a finely phrased, richly coloured account, supporting the singers with
finesse.
The production is firmly in the ‘nothing to frighten the
horses’ category. Boris Kudlička’s sombre, mostly dark-hued sets draw some
of their inspiration from the interplay of light and shade found in such
buildings as the Beshtak Palace in Cairo, and the murder scene is staged
with classical restraint. Kaspar Glarner’s costumes must have been rather
warm to wear on this 34C evening, but they are formally beautiful and very
flattering. Bruno Poet’s lighting evokes both the brilliance of after-battle
celebration and the cloistered atmosphere of castle interiors, and the
movement and fight direction (Michael Barry and Ran Arthur Braun
respectively) is well considered if at times needing a bit of tightening up.
Those seeking new insights or a ‘Regietheater’ style might feel
disappointed, but the production’s relative simplicity is a strength since
it does not merely showcase one outstanding individual’s performance but
feels more like a company affair – quite an achievement given that the major
attraction is the singer of the title role. If you haven’t booked a ticket,
there’s no need to feel dismayed since the performance on June 28th will be
relayed ‘live’ to cinemas around the world as part of the ROH Live Cinema
Season – you can find details at roh.org.uk/cinemas.
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