Here, it is the “Esultate!” (Rejoice!) and Antonenko comes through with a stentorian sound. “Otello” is one of those operas where Verdi gives the tenor a technical challenge as soon as he appears.

One odd directorial touch is having Otello and Iago sitting on a bed, while the villain is spinning his false stories about a love affair between Cassio and Desdemona. The moving glass walls by set designer Es Devlin are hardly a feast for the eyes but do allow the audience to see the characters’ spying activities. The lighting by Donald Holder is mostly dark, which suits the mood of the piece. Otello kisses the deceased Desdemona and stabs himself. He then smothers her, whereupon Emilia enters and reveals Iago’s deceit. The last act begins with Desdemona preparing for bed with the assistance of her maid, Emilia, who happens to be Iago’s wife.ĭesdemona says her nightly prayers, after which Otello arrives, kisses her, and tells his wife to prepare for death. This plotting continues in the third act, when Iago induces Cassio into speaking about his mistress, leading Otello to believe it is Desdemona they are discussing. Her pleas to her husband to reinstate Cassio only fuel Otello’s distrust of her. After a soliloquy in which he expresses belief in a cruel God, Iago sets about to arouse Otello’s jealousy, making him believe that Cassio is carrying on an affair with Desdemona. Sonya Yoncheva as Desdemona and Aleksandrs Antonenko in the title role of Verdi’s “Otello.” (Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)Īt the beginning of Act 2, Iago sets his scheme in motion by urging Cassio to seek help from Desdemona. At the end of the first act, Otello is reunited with his bride, Desdemona. Iago manages to get Cassio demoted by getting him drunk and tricking him into a fight with Rodrigo, a Venetian nobleman.

His ensign, Iago, is determined to stir up trouble because Cassio has been promoted over him. Then Otello enters, proclaiming his victory over the Turks. The raging seas were conveyed by Luke Halls’s projected images. The opera begins with a storm in the harbor of Cyprus, with the crowd waiting for the return of the governor, Otello.

Verdi opera with desdemona