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| Gioachino Rossini |
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However, the opera deviates heavily from Shakespeare's original, not only in that it takes place in Venice and not on Cyprus, but also in that the whole dramatic conflict develops in a different manner. The role of Iago is reduced to some degree, and it is much less diabolical than in the original or in Verdi's Otello of 1887. In further contrast, the role of Rodrigo, of subsidiary importance in Shakespeare and Verdi, is very prominent in Rossini's version and is assigned some of the most difficult and brilliant music. The roles of Otello, Iago, and Rodrigo are all composed for the tenor voice.
Rossini's Otello is an important milestone in the development of opera as musical drama. It provided Giuseppe Verdi with a benchmark for his own adaptations of Shakespeare. A recent Opera Rara CD of the opera includes an alternative happy ending, a common practice with drama and opera at that period of the 19th Century.
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[edit] Performance history
The first performance took place at the Teatro del Fondo in Naples on 4 December 1816. It was given its UK premiere on 16 May 1822 at the King's Theatre in London and its American premiere at the Park Theatre in New York on 7 February 1826.[1][edit] Roles
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| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 4 December 1816 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Otello | tenor | Andrea Nozzari |
| Desdemona | mezzo-soprano | Isabella Colbran |
| Rodrigo | tenor | Giovanni David |
| Jago | tenor | Giuseppe Ciccimarra |
| Emilia | mezzo-soprano | Maria Manzi |
| Elmiro | bass | Michele Benedetti |
| The Doge of Venice | tenor | Gaetano Chizzola |
| Lucio | tenor | Nicola Mollo |
| A gondolier | tenor | Nicola Mollo |
[edit] Synopsis
- Place: Venice
- Time: End of the 18th Century
[edit] Related Works
Franz Liszt based the Canzone from the Années de Pèlerinage supplement Venezia e Napoli on the gondolier's song "Nessun Maggior Dolore" from this opera.[edit] Recordings
| Year | Cast: Otello, Desdemona, Iago, Rodrigo | Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra | Label [2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | José Carreras, Frederica Von Stade, Gianfranco Pastine, Salvatore Fisichella | Jesus Lopez Cobos, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra | Audio CD: Philips Cat: 432 456-2 |
| 1988 | Chris Merritt, June Anderson, Ezio Di Cesare, Rockwell Blake | John Pritchard, Orchestra and Chorus of RAI Torino (Video recording of a performance in the Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro, August) | DVD: Encore DVD 2223 |
| 1999 | Bruce Ford, Elizabeth Futral, Juan José Lopera, William Matteuzzi | David Parry, Philharmonia Orchestra and the Geoffrey Mitchell Choir | Audio CD: Opera Rara Cat: ORC 18 |
| 2000 | Bruce Ford, Mariella Devia, Octavio Arévalo, Juan Diego Flórez | Gianluigi Gelmetti, Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Recording of a performance in the Royal Opera House, February) | Audio CD: Premiere Opera Ltd. Cat: CDNO 548-3; House of Opera |
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ Holden, p. 779
- ^ Recordings of Otello on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
- Sources
- Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
- Osborne, Charles, The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1994 ISBN 0-931340-71-3
- Osborne, Richard, Rossini, Ithaca, New York: Northeastern University Press, 1990 ISBN 1-55553-088-5 ISBN 1-55553-088-5
[edit] External links
- Othello: a tragic opera in two acts, as performed at the New York Theatre by Francesco Maria Berio, Gioacchino Rossini, Francesco Berio di Salsa, William Shakespeare; Contributors: Edward M Murden, Daniel Fanshaw; (published by E.M. Murden, no. 4 Chambers-Street, for the New-York Theatre. D. Fanshaw, printer., 1826)
- Othello: a tragic opera in two acts as performed by the Garcia Troupe in New York in 1826, and the Italian Company of the Chestnut Street Theatre in 1833 by Gioacchino Rossini, Francesco Berio di Salsa, Francesco Maria Berio, William Shakespeare (published by Neal, 1833)
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