neilshestopal 22 Sep 2008 at 1:53pm (Report this message)

<!-- @page { size: 21cm 29.7cm; margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } -->

Wherever you are go and see Welsh National Opera's new production of Otello starring Dennis O'Neill, Amanda Roocroft and David Kempster.  I went on Tuesday to the  Dress Rehearsal and if the actual performance is anything like as good, you are in for a wonderful treat.  All 3 singers are magnificant in their respective roles, Dennis O'Neill brings all his experience and talent to the role of Otello with a magnificant ringing tenor voice, Amanda Roocroft is a fine actress as well as singer and this is particularly apparent in the final scene and in the way she sang the Willow song and Ave Maria.  David Kempster as Iago conveyed all the coniving and scheming that the role demands as well as possessing a first rate voice reminiscent of Robert Merrill amongst others.

The orchestra under Carlo Rizzi was powerful but never drowning the singers, the chorus both sang and moved about the stage in what was obviously a very well rehearsed manner so that they never bunched or cluttered up the stage and this was largely due to the director Paul Curran.  The sets were bright and sometimes spectacular but never over the top.  The costumes were just right for the production which did not attempt to modernise the opera but was faithful to Verdi in every respect and who can forget Amanda Roocroft's long flowing blonde wig?

The production opened in Cardiff at the Millennium Centre which itself is a magnificent auditorium on 19th September and after its Cardiff run it tours to Swansea, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and Oxford.  It's a must see!

By the way, this to me being a particularly good production with such an excellent line up of stars, does anyone recall outstanding productions of Otello in the recent or long gone past which remained in their memory to the present day and if so who was singing and where?  My first Iago was Tito Gobi in Venice in 1961 as a young teenager.  Did anyone see Mario del Monaco as Otello and what does anyone think of Mario del Monaco in his 2 recordings of the opera?  How great as Desdemona was Renata Tebaldi?