2002-07-13 Otello (Verdi), Opernhaus Zurich

Otello = José Cura
Desdemona = Daniela Dessì
Jago = Ruggero Raimondi
Cassio = Antonello Palombi
Emilia = Brigitte Pinter
Roderigo = Miroslav Christoff
Lodovico = Pavel Daniluk
Montano = Valeriy Murga
Un arraldo = Michael Mirosek

Vladimir Fedoseyev, conductor

Inszenierung - Sven-Eric Bechtolf
Bühnenbild - Rolf Glittenberg
Lichtgelstaltung - Jürgen Hoffmann
Wonderful Cura, Dessì & Raimondi

Otello in Space, but still Verdi's Otello. The backdrop is a cinematic view of the stars, as if on a space-ship. This modernism is not doing anything for the opera, so I will  go straight into the matter.

Otello, the opera, as theater and singing considered. The Chorus was weak, especially in the beginning of the opera, I think the Zurich opera needs more singers in the chorus. The children's chorus was excellent.  Ruggero Raimondi was in full rigor as Jago, excellent singing and acting. Roderigo did his part well enough, but his voice was weak. Cassio was a bigger voiced tenor than I am used to in Otello performances, here we had a match for Cura, a future Otello no-doubt. José Cura as Otello, I liked him, but still Plácido Domingo's interpretation of the role is too vivid in my mind that I can fully appreciate Cura's because they are quite different. Daniela Dessì was a brilliant and young Desdemona, perfect in all ways. Emilia was also great in this performance.

This page was last updated: June 20, 2022