Giuseppe Verdi
Otello
Live in HD
One of today’s leading dramatic tenors, Brian Jagde takes on the tour-de-force title role of what many consider the ultimate Italian opera, live to cinemas worldwide. Verdi’s monumental Shakespearean tragedy also features soprano Ailyn Pérez in her company role debut as the long-suffering Desdemona, alongside baritone Artur Ruciński as the sinister Iago. Michele Mariotti leads the full forces of the Met Orchestra and Chorus in the exhilarating score. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.
English StreamText captioning is available for the Met’s transmission of Otello here. A transcript of the transmission will also be available to view after the live performance.
Buy tickets for Otello live in the opera house here.
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
Estimated Run Time
3 hours 20 min
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.
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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.
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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