French soprano Natalie Dessay, not only a dazzling singer but also a gifted actress, effortlessly sweeps her castmates along in this turbulent buffo delight of an opera. ‘She laughed, mugged, cried and danced through her part … And she sang. Oh, how she sang,’ gushed George Jahn (Associated Press). Her partner is Juan Diego Flórez, one of the leading young tenors of our time. Clad in lederhosen, he cheerfully seduces Marie – and the audience – with his voice and his looks.
Rossini Opera Festival 2022: Otello
Otello is an opera by Gioachino Rossini based on William Shakespeare’s play Othello. Set in Cyprus, the opera tells the story of the Moorish general Otello, who is manipulated by his ensign Iago into believing that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful. As a result, Otello succumbs to jealousy and murders Desdemona, only to realize too late that he has been duped by Iago. In the end, Otello kills himself in remorse. Rossini’s Otello significantly differs from William Shakespeare’s play (and Verdi’s opera), particularly by elevating the character Rodrigo to a major role alongside Otello and Iago, having earned the work the nickname “opera of the three tenors”. “The three warriors acting out their masculinity are all tenors: Antonino Siragusa gives the scheming Iago in an ingratiating and at the same time sharply determined manner; Enea Scala, on the other hand, impresses as Otello […] Dmitry Korchak impresses above all with “Che ascolto”, his virtuoso aria of despair that gets under the skin.” (Tagesspiegel)