Giuseppe Verdi

Otello

Jan 11 – May 1

Tickets from $33.00 |

Price includes $10.00 fee

Two of today’s leading dramatic tenors—Michael Fabiano and Brian Jagde—take on the tour-de-force title role of what many consider the ultimate Italian opera, Verdi’s monumental Shakespearean tragedy. Beloved sopranos Angel Blue and Ailyn Pérez make their company role debuts as the long-suffering Desdemona, alongside baritones Amartuvshin Enkhbat and Artur Ruciński as the sinister Iago. Daniele Rustioni and Michele Mariotti lead the full forces of the Met Orchestra and Chorus in the exhilarating score.

Please note that video cameras will be in operation during the April 20 and 24 performances, as part of The Met: Live in HD series of cinema transmissions.

Production a gift of Jacqueline Desmarais, in memory of Paul G. Desmarais Sr.

Additional support from the Hermione Foundation, Laura Sloate, Trustee

Sung In

Italian

Met Titles In

  • English
  • German
  • Spanish
  • Italian

Estimated Run Time

2 hrs 55 mins

House Opens

Acts I & II

68 mins

Intermission

34 mins

Act III & IV

73 mins

Opera Ends

World premiere: Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 1887. Often cited as Italian opera’s greatest tragedy, Otello is a miraculous union of music and drama—a masterpiece as profound philosophically as it is thrilling theatrically. Shakespeare’s tale of an outsider, a great hero who can’t control his jealousy, was carefully molded by the librettist Arrigo Boito into a taut and powerful libretto. All three lead roles are demanding—making the opera a challenge to produce—but the role of Otello in particular requires an astounding natural instrument capable of both powerful and delicate sounds, superb musical intelligence, and impressive acting abilities. 

Creators

In an extraordinary career spanning six decades in the theater, Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) composed 26 operas, at least half of which are at the core of today’s repertoire. His role in Italy’s cultural and political development has made him an icon in his native country. Librettist Arrigo Boito (1842–1918) was also a composer (his opera Mefistofele, based on Goethe’s Faust, premiered in 1868), as well as a journalist and critic. 

  • composer

    Giuseppe Verdi

Production

Bartlett Sher

SET DESIGNER

Es Devlin

COSTUME DESIGNER

Catherine Zuber

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Donald Holder

PROJECTION DESIGNER

Luke Halls

C. Graham Berwind, III Chorus Director

Tilman Michael

Setting

Otello is set on the island of Cyprus, originally in the late 15th century. The island itself represents an outpost of a European power under constant attack from an encroaching, hostile adversary. The current production by Bartlett Sher moves the action to the time of the opera’s creation. 

Videos

Video

Music

The score of Otello is remarkable for its overall intensity and dramatic insight rather than the memorable solo numbers that made Verdi’s earlier works so popular. There are glorious arias in this opera, but equally important are the shorter vocal solos that cover considerable dramatic territory: The tenor’s opening “Esultate!” in Act I is just a few measures long but reveals many facets of his character. Throughout the score, the orchestra plays a diverse role unprecedented in Italian opera, depicting a great range of color—from the power of nature in the storm scene in Act I to a tender night of love to the opera’s chilling final scene.

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