Verdi: Otello [Blu-ray]

This production left me feeling that the parts were greater than the whole. A great production of "Otello" has the feel of one long sustained piece of music, as opposed to the more typical operatic structure of spoken or sung recitative broken up by arias and ensemble pieces. When "Otello" is done right, I must remind myself to breath because, from the moment the orchestra begins Act I with the dissonant crashing chord that ushers in the storm scene, the action moves "as one" to the tragic end. This production, though, has a choppy feel, not quite doing justice to Verdi's innovative, flowing style. And yet the individual performances (the "parts") are so compelling, that it still rates a strong four stars.And so, to the "parts." Jose Cura's voice is sometimes strained, but his acting and commitment to the role are captivating. (I have the same comment about his portrayal of Manrico in "Il Trovatore" on DVD.) If you want the best sung Otello, stick to the three DVD's with Placido Domingo. But Cura brings a fierceness and passion to the role that makes for a riveting performance.I had never heard of Krassimira Stoyanova who plays Desdemona. Although Act I is almost over before we hear her sing (in the sublime love duet "Gia nella notte densa") she is well worth waiting for. Her soprano voice flows with lyric beauty, yet is strong enough to carry the ensemble near the end of Act III when the great concertato follows Otello cruelly throwing her to the ground. Stoyanova's Act IV "Willow Song" and "Ave Maria" are as heartbreaking as they ought to be. You will be moved by her entire performance.Lado Ataneli possesses a wonderfully full and burnished baritone voice. Iago can be interpreted in different ways. Ataneli chooses to focus on the personal rather than on the political; he convincingly portrays Iago as Otello's false friend and confidante, thus making Iago's actions all the more chilling and deplorable.If you're looking to purchase only one "Otello" on DVD, I would recommend one of the three productions starring Domingo; my favorite is The Met from 1995 with Renee Fleming as Desdemona and James Morris as Iago. (I've written a separate Amazon review of that production which compares it to the other two DVD's of Domingo in the title role.) Domingo's interpretation of Otello is profound; he explores every nuance of this brave but ultimately pathetic warrior. But this Liceu production from Barcelona is well-worth owning and is sufficiently different in concept, stage design, and performances from the three Domingo DVD's that you won't feel you have a duplicate of this great opera in your collection.

Laurence Olivier is the greatest Othello I have or will ever witness, and yet this past spring I saw a production at the Guthrie Theatrehere in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and it was stunning! One for the ages! There can never be just one performance of a Shakespeare work; the whole point of classic theatre is to see as many productions as possible, to see how a variety of artists bring to life the words and actions. The same applies to Verdi's operas. When I was 17 I heard for the first time Arturo Toscannini's radio broadcast of OTELLO, with an absolutely devastating performance by the Chilean-born heldentenor Ramon Vinay. No one has equaled it in my mind, even though I much admire both Jon Vickers and Placido Domingo in the role. Once again, the goal is the continual renewal of our spirits achieved by witnessing many productions. And so this production from the Gran Teatre del Liceu assumes its place of honor with an utterly convincing Otello sung with heroic abandon by Jose Cura, a subtle, devious Iago brilliantly sung by Lado Ateneli and a radiant, touching Desdemona sensitively sung by Krassimira Stoyanova. Cura is a familiar name and he lives up to his reputation: his portrayal grows stronger and more tragic with each act. But the baritone and soprano are unknown to me. No longer. Both are alive to every aspect of their characters and sing with Verdian force and beauty. The production uses traditional period costumes but the staging is heavily symbolic. A large cross on the stage becomes an increasingly important prop as Otello's soul is snared by Iago's treachery. As always in a Shakespeare tragedy, we can echo Macduff's disbelief when he hears of the slaughter of his family, WHAT DID HEAVEN LOOK ON AND TAKE NO PART? Yes, it's true, innocence and goodness are not defended by heavenly powers, and this production emphasizes that absence of cosmic justice.

An opera is visual as well as musical. This honest to God might be the dullest performance of Otello I've ever seen. The singers are sleep walking and the decision to have a cheap, flimsy white cross as the only prop was terrible. Don't buy it.

FIRSTLY I MUST CONFESS TO NOT BEING A GREAT FAN OF JOSE CURA, HOWEVER THIS LIVE PRODUCTION OF VERDI'S MASTERPIECE HAS CONVERTED ME. I ALWAYS THOUGHT MARIO DEL MONACO WAS THE GREATEST OTELLO FOLLOWED BY PLACIDO DOMINGO HOWEVER JOSE CURA IS NOW IN THIS SAME LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE. HE SINGS LIKE A MAN POSSESSED AND IS GIVEN FINE SUPPORT BY HIS DESDEMONA KRASSINIRA STOYANOVA AND JAGO LADO ATANELI. THIS LIVE RECORDING FROM THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU IN BARCELONA IS OUTSTANDING AND OPTUS ARTE ARE TO CONGRATULATED IN THE FINE PRESENTATION OF THIS TWO DVD SET - DON'T BE PUT OFF BY NOT RECOGNISING THE NAMES OF THE SOPRANO AND BARITONE AS THEY ARE IN THE SAME LEAGUE OF A VERY YOUNG RENTATA TEBALDI AND ETTORE BASTIANINI AND I FEEL IF BOTH CONTINUE IN THIS LEAVE OF EXCELLENCE THEY WILL SOON BE HOUSEHOLD NAMES.

This is my favorite OTELLO, and I own three Domingo sets and saw the great man at the Met with Babara Frittoli and treasure that night always. The difference here is in Cura's AMAZING acting (his voice is no slouch either) and the incomparable Stoyanova as Desdemona.And the Willy Decker production (and I am usually not one of his biggest fans) is breathtaking. Also Antaneli is a wicked Iago without losing his humanity, and Grigolo is simply the best Cassio anyone could imagine!I used to teach English, and if this set were available back then, I would be sure to have my classes see it. It is simply superb!

A generally fine modern Otello, drmatically convincing and well sung. Stoyanova, a new discovery for me, is in vocal league of her own among this bunch. Cura throws himself into the role, but shows some vocal fatigue and forced sound. Ataneli's Iago and other supporting roles are less well done.

Jose Cura is outstanding in this role. Victorio Grigolo is great as Cassio. Excellent singing fromDesdemona and Jago

This is a particularly powerful production and performance of one of Verdi's last operatic masterpieces. In this work Verdi finally left the recitative and aria form of composition such is found in earlier works such as La Traviata, and adopted a compositional style where the music becomes more continuous and with more integration between the orchestra with the vocal line. This approach would be more in line with the contemporary work of Puccini and Wagner for example.The stage director of this production, Willy Decker, has favoured a minimalist approach to the staging. The intention is to focus the attention on the 3 main characters of Otello, Jago and Desdemona, thus heightening the drama of the opera. This he certainly achieves but for this approach to work in performance, the drama must also be carried by singers who can not only sing their demanding parts accurately, but who are also capable of highly skilled acting at the same time. A video production, with inevitable close focus, makes these acting requirements imperative and a completely different experience to a CD audio only production for example.The three main characters in this production rise superbly to the challenges. Jose Cura, as Otello, delivers as intensity of acting which would be outstanding in a stage play of Othello. To this he adds wonderfully accurate and emotionally responsive singing. This combination is very special. Lado Araneli is evil personified and a powerful match for Cura both as a singer and as an actor. Krassimira Stoyanova makes a fine Desdemona of internal strength which makes her eventual and inevitable persecution and final death even more moving than is often the case.The supporting cast and chorus are fully up to the tasks required of them although I found the chorus to be rather a static concept. Still, it fits into the overall minimalist vision.The bonus features are typical of this label and offer an introduction, an illustrated synopsis and a cast gallery.The recording offers very clear and crisp imaging of good colour rendition. The camera work is fully involving. The sound is presented in good quality PCM 5.0 and stereo. A shame that the surround sound does not include a separate sub-woofer channel.Much though I have enjoyed this production I preferred the Muti version although I am aware that there is some complaint about the sound balance between orchestra and singers which I found to be totally realistic. A matter of opinion therefore.Bearing in mind purchasers' likely preferences and especially bearing in mind that some may find the minimalist setting somewhat of a disadvantage I would suggest that 4 stars is a fairly safe assessment and reasonably accommodating of most divergent opinion.

I bought this DVD purely because I am a fan of Vittorio Grigolo and it's the only opera I have found with him in it. However, it was Josè Cura who blew me away. He performed with such intensity and vigour that I was drawn into every emotion he was feeling. A magnificent portrayal of Otello. Yes, the production is minimalistic and it does all revolve around the large cross but I preferred it to the traditional staging of other productions and I think Willy Decker did a fantastic job. Lado Ataneli was superb as Jago as was Krassimira Stoyanova as Desdemona and Vittorio as Cassio was great [especially when he removed his shirt :)] but the star of the show, deservedly so, was Cura. A "must have" to add to anybody's collection.

Another Willy Decker show..........again, I am not phased by the minimalistic production, especially after watching the short documentary that form part of the bonus features. Like the 2005 Salzburg Traviata, this Liceu Otello will have its die-hard fans and its critics. As far as I can concerned, the 3 principals are in top form, with Cura providing one of his strongest interpretations in recent years. Vocally, he has a few dry spots, however, his acting and intense portrayl make this a production to treasure. A triumph all round! However, I think that this opera could have been fitted onto a single disc, as the bonus features are not that substantial.

I do prefer to see more staging than what is actually in this performance. Like many modern opera productions this one agagin borders on Opera/Concert version label. Why waste a perfectly good theatre when this could have been performed as it is in a concert hall. Even so the cast was excellent and the psychological input was very good, clear and actually moving. Cura was excellent although his Desdemona appeared old enough to be his mother and not his young wife.

wonderful