11 October 2019

Verdi’s Shakespearean masterpiece returns to The Royal Opera

Otello, Act III ©2017 ROH. Photographed by Catherine Ashmore.

Keith Warner’s stunning 2017 production of Verdi’s penultimate Shakespearean masterpiece focuses on themes of identity and the conflict between good and evil.

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Boris Kudlička’s semi-abstract sets and Kaspar Glarner’s naturalistic costumes mirror the contrasting innocence of Desdemona and malevolence of Iago. Warner sensitively examines the relationships between Moors, Turks and Westerners in Shakespeare’s time to highlight how Otello feels an outsider in his society, which contributes to his loss of confidence and gradual mental collapse.

Otello was Verdi’s penultimate opera. Although he had claimed to have retired after Aida in 1871, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to set a text by his favourite poet, Shakespeare. His publisher, Giulio Ricordi, suggested he use the writer and composer Arrigo Boito as his librettist. Verdi was delighted by Boito’s subtle and sensitive text, which drew from him some wonderful and varied music. Highlights include Otello and Desdemona’s beautiful Act I love duet, Iago’s nihilistic Act II ‘Credo’, the grandeur of the final scenes of Act III and the terrible intimacy of Act IV as the drama progresses from Desdemona’s forebodings to Otello’s crime of passion. Otello had a triumphant premiere in 1887 at La Scala, Milan, and Verdi and Boito went on to collaborate on Verdi’s final operatic masterpiece, Falstaff.

Music Director Antonio Pappano conducts all performances. He was the conductor for the premiere performances of this production in 2017 and also recently conducted Otello in Japan with The Royal Opera.

Returning to one of Italian opera’s most challenging roles (both vocally and dramatically) is American Gregory Kunde who has sung Otello in this production for The Royal Opera in 2017 and on tour in Japan in September 2019. He made his debut with The Royal Opera in 2016 as Manrico (Il trovatore). Singing the role of Desdemona for the first time at Covent Garden is Albanian soprano and Royal Opera regular Ermonela Jaho, whose previous roles for the Company include Violetta Valéry (La traviata), (Manon), Suor Angelica and Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly). She returns to sing Cio-Cio-San for the Company later this Season. Spanish baritone Carlos Álvarez sings the scheming Iago, following his acclaimed interpretation of the title role of Simon Boccanegra for The Royal Opera in the 2018-19 Season for The Royal Opera. British tenor Freddie De Tommaso sings the role of Cassio. Jette Parker Young Artists Uruguayan tenor Andrés Presno and Scottish-Iranian bass-baritone Michael Mofidian sing the roles of Roderigo and Montano respectively. Korean bass In Sung Sim returns to the role of Lodovico

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(which he sang here in 2017 and on tour to Japan in 2019) and Australian mezzo- soprano Catherine Carby sings the role of Emilia.

Otello opens on 9 December 2019, with subsequent performances on 13, 16, 19 and 22 (matinee) December

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS 1. For further information or interview requests please contact Ann Richards 2. For images or press ticket requests please contact Hannah Last

OTELLO

9, 13, 16, 19 December 2019 at 7.30pm and 22 December at 3pm

Generous philanthropic support from The Taylor Family Foundation, Marina Hobson OBE, Spindrift Al Swaidi and The Royal Opera Endowment Fund. Position of Maestro Antonio Pappano generously supported by Mrs Susan A. Olde OBE

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

Creative team

Composer Giuseppe Verdi Libretto Arrigo Boito Director Keith Warner Set designer Boris Kudlička Costume designer Kaspar Glarner Lighting designer Bruno Poet Movement director Michael Barry Fight director Ran Arthur Braun

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Performers Conductor Antonio Pappano Otello Gregory Kunde Desdemona Ermonela Jaho Iago Carlos Álvarez Cassio Freddie De Tommaso Roderigo Andrés Presno Emilia Catherine Carby Montano Michael Mofidian Lodovico In Sung Sim Herald Dawid Kimberg

Royal Opera Chorus Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

*Royal Opera debut

About The Royal Opera The Royal Opera, under the artistic direction of Antonio Pappano, Music Director, and Oliver Mears, Director of Opera, is one of the world’s leading opera companies. Based in the iconic Covent Garden theatre, it is renowned both for its outstanding performances of traditional opera and for commissioning new works by today’s leading opera composers, such as Harrison Birtwistle, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Thomas Adès.

About the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House’s aim is for many more people to enjoy and engage in exceptional ballet and opera. As The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, we bring together the world’s most extraordinary ballet and opera artists in more than 500 performances every year: live events that thrill, move and excite, and that transport people to other worlds though music, dance and theatre.

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