A Bayerische Staatsoper production starring Gregory Kunde, Carlos Álvarez and Krassimira Stoyanova​ 

When Verdi shut himself in to write an opera based on Shakespeare's Othello, he originally intended to call it Iago because Otello was the title of another opera by Rossini which was still hugely popular. Verdi was so fascinated by the compulsively manipulating Iago – whose diabolical boldness destroys the jealous Moor and his wife – that he gave him some of the finest dramatic and musical passages in the opera.

The famous words that mark the victorious Otello's first appearance – one of the greatest entrances in the history of opera – lead directly into Iago's perfectly laid plan, into the lies and ploys that will cause the downfall of the insanely jealous Otello and the death of Desdèmona.

Iago, having identified Otello's weak spot, builds his scheme around it and the splendid, upstanding warrior of Act I slowly degenerates into the man who commits suicide when he becomes aware of his own his moral decadence. Otello is no longer Otello. The poignancy of his tragedy lies hidden in the innermost depths of self-doubt.

Amélie Niermeyer's production shows the inner and outer struggle that inhabits in Shakespeare's play, but also puts the figure of Desdemona in the center. In some way, she underlines feminicide and misogyny with the glasses of realism, expressionism and the crudeness of modern theater.

With the support of:

Otello

DRAMMA LIRICO IN FOUR ACTS
Libretto by Arrigo Boito after the play by William Shakespeare.
World premiere: 5/02/1887 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
First Barcelona performance: 19/11/1890 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
Last Liceu performance: 07/02/2016.
Total number of Liceu performances: 165.

Artistic profile

Conductor

Gustavo Dudamel

Stage director

Amélie Niermeyer

Set design

Christian Schmidt

Costumes

Annelies Vanlaere

Lighting design

Olaf Winter

Video

Philipp Batereau

Production

Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich)

Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Liceu Opera Barcelona

Director of the Chorus

Conxita Garcia

Cast

Otello	Gregory Kunde	27th,30th March and 6th,9th,12th,14th April
	Jorge de León	28th,31th March and 7th,10th,13th April
Jago	Carlos Álvarez	27th,30th March and 6th,9th,12th,14th April
	Željko Lucic	28th,31th March and 7th,10th,13th April
Cassio	Airam Hernández
Roderigo	Francisco Vas
Lodovico	Felipe Bou
Montano	Fernando Latorre
Desdemona	Krassimira Stoyanova	27th,30th March and 6th,9th,12th,14th April
	Eleonora Buratto	28th,31th March and 7th,10th,13th April
Emilia	Mireia Pintó

Àngel Òdena