With as conductor and a series of excellent singers, there is nothing to complain about the musical performance of this Metropolitan production. The general criticism concerned 's direction. He moved Shakespeare's story to the nineteenth century. To emphasize psychological aspects, he let Otello live in a glass palace. Otello is not a Moor, but a white army commander of a white army. With this
… Sher may have avoided a sensitive racist subject (the black or brown face painting of a white singer), but unfortunately it does not make the story more credible. Otello de Moor is a loner in a white society and therefore vulnerable. The devilish Iago uses racist prejudice against him to achieve his own selfish goals. In this production, this aspect of the tragedy is completely lost. It won't help that Antonenko (Otello) is a great singer, but not a great actor. What is interesting is Desdemona's idea as a 'Victorian angel'. Dressed in beautiful crinolines, she is a beautiful picture, the ideal image of a woman from the time of composer Verdi and lyricist Boito. But is that image real? ... (CP)more
