Otello is one of Verdi's best operas, containing one of his most concise stories and some of his best music (such as the Storm, Esultate, the end of Act 1 duet, Iago's Credo and Desdemona's Ave Maria and Willow Song).
There are some fine productions of Otello, and while this 2015 production falls rather short of being among the best of them its best components are pretty magnificent. It is a letdown after the Met's powerful Il Trovatore that kicked off the 10th season, which this viewer was not expecting seeing as I much prefer Otello as an opera. It is a case of being near-perfect musically, with only one noticeable sore spot, but considering the intensity of the story the production could and should have been much more dramatically. I even found myself preferring the 2012 production, and that had imperfections too, namely Johan Botha's inconsistent Otello.
If there was one highlight, it was the performance of Sonya Yoncheva as a truly magical Desdemona and the only really outstanding principal of the night. Vocally, she is just sublime and phrases and shapes her voice with such intelligent musicianship (like making any repeated words or phrases varied each time, for example the word Salce in the Willow Song), managing the technical difficulties of the Act 1 duet brilliantly. The best acting of the evening also came from her, she is poignant and nuanced in Ave Maria, Willow Song and the Act 1 duet, but shows plenty of steel and proud nobility in Act 3, understanding better than most Desdemonas that she is not just a victim. Another high point was Yannick Nézet-Séguin's conducting. He provides one of the most sympathetically yet authoritatively conducted Otellos heard in recent memory, the most powerful moments like the opening Storm Scene show no vulgarity whatsoever and are genuinely intense while the more delicate parts such as Ave Maria and the Willow Song are exactly that, delicate.
Dimitri Pittas is a youthful and quite charming Cassio, with a nice ringing tone, managing the awkward timing of the Act 3 trio quite well, while Jennifer Johnson Cano is dutiful and touching as Emilia, Chad Shelton is solid as Rodreigo if not really a standout and Günther Groissböck's effortlessly authoritative Ludovico makes one wonder why he isn't doing any more bigger roles. The more restrained quality that eljko Lučić brings to Iago- one of opera's meanest villains along with Scarpia from Tosca- was much appreciated, and while he has been better in better directed productions he sings mellifluously and resonantly with some great expression and with some of the most striking musicianship of the production. He does show some involvement with the drama, is chillingly arresting in the Drinking Song, in the moment where he slaps Emilia and in his twisted mind games with Otello (doing much with little). Against all this, Iago is at his most evil in the Credo and for me Lučić, despite being a gifted actor, having a certain command and singing it incredibly well, was not quite sinister enough, there is not enough of the lizard-like quality that baritones like Gobbi, Milnes and even Capuccilli show in the stretches where Iago doesn't sing. It's a good performance, just not a great one.
Visually, the production is really striking, the sets look fantastic and the scene changes are remarkably slick, the costumes while updated are suitably distinguished with Desdemona and Iago being particularly well suited and the projected images are stunningly effective and atmospheric, not being distracting whatsoever. The lighting though is a touch too dark in the Storm Scene, the scene should be dark but not to the extent that figuring out who's who being rendered difficult. The chorus sing magnificently and sound and look so well rehearsed, though while there is no questioning their dramatic commitment they have shown more individuality before.
Aleksandrs Antonenko is frustratingly inconsistent as Otello, one of the most notoriously taxing roles in the whole tenor repertoire. He has the power, the squillo, the right sound and some ring with a thrilling Esultate, but a few parts sound strained, his whole singing lacks nuance and needed smoother phrasing and more colour. As an actor, and this is partly Bartlett Sher's fault and also that Antonenko is not the most natural of actors, he spends almost the entire time looking awkward and bewildered, even looking stiff in the Act 1 duet (where the romantic chemistry between him and Yoncheva is barely there), his only vivid acting being in his Act 3 solo scene and occasionally in the climactic Act 3 ensemble. Sher has been responsible for some great productions with some compelling directing and interesting characterisation, but while the direction is never continually dull and is never incoherent (it is always easy to follow), there is a lack of overall drama and suspense (the climactic Act 3 ensemble being an exception) with nothing new other than the bold move of not having blackface, static movement across the stage (even Si Pel Ciel doesn't send up a storm) and too much blocking.
In conclusion, doesn't completely succeed but it is interesting and is worth seeing for Yoncheva and the conducting. 6/10 Bethany Cox
