| Lancette Arts Journal Founded in 2000 |
Music - Live Performances From our Archives |
May 2004 |
By Alidė Kohlhaas
Verdi's Otello is his penultimate opera, premiered in 1887,
when he was 73. He had outlived Richard Wagner, born in the same year (1813), and in
Otello he achieved what one can perceive as what he had striven for all of his life. For
one, he had the best libretto ever written for him, making up for all the awful ones that
went before. He managed to pour into Otello's music an extra-ordinary combination of
drama, rapture, venom, and compassion unlike anything he had ever written. Everything
musically and dramatically moves naturally within the story. Yes, Arrigo Boito, who wrote
the libretto, took some liberties with William Shakespear's Othello, but he retained the
essence of the work, and Verdi captures it in music to a much higher degree than Rossini
had before him. Opera Ontario, under the musical direction of Daniel Lipton, with stage direction by Jeannette Aster, and
a simple, yet stunning set by Cameron Porteous, created a production that is true to the
spirit of Verdi's greatest dramatic work. The orchestra and singers never conflicted with
each other. Completely complementing each other, they created musical moments that were
pure joy—if one can speak of joy in such a dark, tragic tale—that lingered long
after one left Hamilton Place. The cast was well chosen. The three principals, Otello (tenor
Mark Lundberg), Iago (baritone John Fanning) and Desdemona (soprano Simona Bertini), gave
performance that far exceeded expectations. Here, Opera Ontario showed that it can produce
an original work that stands high above what has been called "regional opera."
This was a mature production of a mature work, and one can only hope that the coming
season (the 25th season of opera in Hamilton) will build on this achievement. Lundberg mastered the difficult task of portraying both vocally and through action the hero
Otello's decline into a state of madness nurtured by his own insecurity of being an
outsider, and Iago's ability to capitalize on it. The program notes describe him as a
'heldentenor', which is quite right, but his strong, expressive voice is also a true Verdi
tenor, with all the shadings that requires. His Otello is triumphant when he arrives in
Cyprus during a raging storm, he shines in the opening love duet with Desdemona, in which
the kiss motive seems the ultimate expression of the love he feels for his wife. Lundberg
makes you believe it. His performance in Act III, when he sings Otello's only
monolog in the opera, is true to the lament that it is, namely a confession of his
feeling of misery and conflicting emotions. He left one almost emotionally drained by the
shattering outpouring of profound sadness. Fanning's rich baritone purred when Iago flattered Otello, and pretended friendship for Cassio (ably sung
by tenor Kurt Lehmann), whose downfall he desired. His boisterous presentation of the
drinking song made an art of mockery with seemingly diabolic trills. And he captured the
evil of Iago when he sang Iago's Credo, so filled with godlessness and ill will. It takes
not just a good singer to make Iago believable, it also takes a fine actor, and Fanning is
both. Bertini's voice is creamy, richly modulated and
perfectly suited to the role of Desdemona. She captured the nobility of the character, her
innocence and devotion. When she sang the prayer in Act IV's bedroom scene, a paraphrasing
of the Ave Maria: 'Ave Maria, piena di grazia, eletta fra le spose e le vergini sei
tu, sia benedetto il frutto, o benedetta, di tue materne viscere, Gesł,' she must
surely have captured the hearts of everyone in the audience. It was a stellar moment. And
her plaintive 'O Salce! Salce! Salce! (Willow, Willow, Willow)' was heart-wrenching. Elizabeth Turnbull in the role of Emilia, Iago's wife, also deserves mention. Hers is a splendid
mezzo voice that suited the strong character of Emilia perfectly. Copyright © 2004-8 CamKohl Arts Productions