Otello Tickets

The show is directed by Sir Peter Hall, the former director of the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, who is one of the most revered theatre and opera directors in the world. This opera focuses on the themes of betrayal, jealousy, and murder, featuring the most dramatic dimensions of Shakespeare's works, performed alongside the most revealingly expressive and blazing music compositions of Verdi. The performance features well-known stage artists such as Ana Maria Martinez as Desdemona, Johan Botha as Otello, and Falk Struckmann as Lago. Otello is primarily famous for being the penultimate opera by Verdi, who attempted to change the standard operatic structure, much like Wagner had already tried. The flow between the set pieces was much smoother than in any of Verdi's previous works. He further added an exciting ballet to its third act, which is rarely included in shows today. Verdi's orchestral writing for the opera is much more complexly developed than any of his earlier masterpieces, while its orchestra portions have a crucial part in conveying the story's main events, such as portraying the profoundly dark, evil aspect of the character of Lago. This performance has been noted for reflecting the operatic influences of Wagner in its section of extended harmonies, changes of key in passages, and its chromaticism. In addition, it features some softer passages that are strongly reminiscent of the soft and sad music of Wagner's composition for Tristan and Isolde.

Lyric Opera was reorganized in 1956 by Fox under its current name, and has since continued to be one of the most prominent opera companies in the country. It is known for presenting contemporary works alongside its standard operatic repertoire. Its most recent productions include Weill's Street Scene, Harbison's The Great Gatsby, Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, Floyd's Susannah, and John Adams' Doctor Atomic. During their main stage season, Lyric Opera artists understudy and perform roles at all levels; the singers work alongside some of the greatest opera singers in the world, as well as directors and conductors, so that their professionalism advances.

Lyric Opera has dedicated this revival production of Otello to Bruno Bartoletti, the artistic director whose wisdom and artistry enriched the company for more than half a century. It is also dedicated to Tito Gobbi, a baritone who is ranked among the most significant artists in the history of Lyric Opera House. Gobbi was instrumental in introducing Bartoletti to Lyric Opera, and the company has featured world-renowned artists such as Sherrill Milnes, Tatiana Troyanos, Jon Vickers, Christa Ludwig, Joan Sutherland, Robert Merrill, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Mirella Freni, Richard Tucker, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Renata Tebaldi, Birgit Nilsson, and Eleanor Steber, among many others.

This production of Otello has been praised critically by various publications. The Chicago Tribune has described it as "simply alluring, fresh and radiant," while the Financial Times has quoted it to be "stupendous with its rare tonal beauty and power and its triumph of style singing." Additionally, Opera News has evaluated it to be among the greatest of all operas in the last fifty years. If you want to watch this whimsical revival production, be sure to book your Otello tickets in time.