Search - Gioachino Rossini, Jesús López-Cobos, Philharmonia Orchestra of London :: Rossini: Otello

Shakespearean Bel Canto: The Other Otello

Rudy Avila | Lennox, Ca United States | 11/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is Verdi's masterful opera Otello that most opera connoisseurs are familiar with, but Rossini's Otelli is a different animal. On this Phillips recording we are treated to purely bel canto style drama that was typical of Rossini's early operatic ventures, starring the talented singers Jose Carreras in the tenor lead of Otello, mezzo soprano Federic Von Stade as Desdemona, tenors Pastine and Fisichella as Cassio and Rodrigo and Samuel Ramey as the villainous Iago. The Spanish conductor Jesus Lopez Cobos lead the Philharmonia Orchestra. While musically speaking, this is inferior to Verdi's Otello, it is still a superb bel canto piece, where the compelling drama takes a backseat and the focus is the beauty of the melodic lines and the singing; namely in fioritura arias for both tenor and mezzo soprano and the sumptuous ensembles. Rossini is not just a composer of innovative, bubbly, nearly Mozartian comedies like Barber of Seville, or the Italian Girl in Algiers. He enjoyed success in dramatic pieces like Elisabetta D'Inglaterra about Queen Elizabeth I of England and his masterpiece of grand opera William Tell. He took up the challenge of setting Shakespeare's tragedy Othello into bel canto opera. He succeeded. This is the most beautiful bel canto drama I have ever heard. The singing is florid, the music is lively and there are a few moments in which the drama takes over. Particularly impressive are Jose Carreras as a very dramatic Otello, Federica Von Stade as a warm, vulnerable Desdemona and Samuel Ramey as the scheming Iago.



The pairing of Carreras and Von Stade was ideal, for they are able to portray the tragic couple with aplomb. Carreras more than any other tenor could convey insecurity and vulnerability in his singing of heroic roles. Rather than focusing on bombast and hugeness, he sang beautifully and plainly. His Otello is perhaps the most realistic, and it's a crying shame he didn't attempt the more difficult Otello of Verdi's creation. It must have been too much for him. However, THIS Otello is the most credible. In Act 1 he is still very much in love with Desdemona, secure in his position as General and happy with his life. By the opera's finale, he is but a shadow of his former self. Destroyed by jealousy, he loses his dignity. Carreras can color his voice to emote all these feelings and does so while still being true to the beauty of the music. Federica Von Stade's Desdemona is entirel unlike soprano Desdemonas. Von Stade has a purely mezzo voice but she can heighten her singing for dramatic effect. It is this Desdemona that prepared her for the role of Charlotte in Werther, which calls for a dramatic mezzo voice. While Von Stade can never and has never sung Amneris, Azucena, Eboli or other dramatic mezzo roles, she is still a very dramatic singer. Her Desdemona is a lyric creation composed of beauty, femininity and anguish. Her command of Rossini roles is superb. Samuel Ramey is doing a hell of a job as Iago. He has sung the Verdi Iago as well. Here, however, we find the Ramey that was initially a leading Rossini singer. He essays the music with bravura and strong baritone voice. He may not be as nasty an Iago as others have been, but the quality of his voice is right on. He sings with an edge and sexiness that next to Carreras is darker and more dangerous. And Iago is dangerous! Jesus Lopez Cobos is a masterful conductor of a variety of operatic repertoire (from Albeniz' Merlin to Massenet's Manon) and here he demonstrates how Rossini opera can be both beautiful, elegant and intensely dramatic. This is still a good opera, despite its almost risably melodramatic elements. It is a beautiful work. I wish they could stage it more often in nationwide opera houses. With the right singers and art direction this can be a thrilling work. It's just that bel canto operas have gone on the wayside in light of the more popular Verdi-Wagner-Puccini opera diet. It was a big movement in the 60's and bel canto specialists like Monsterrat Caballe, Joan Sutherland and Beverly Sills would have made terrific Desdemonas. But I am 100 percent sure that today's singers can really add excitement to this opera. Imagine the following cast for this opera: Placido Domingo, Salvatore Licitra, Roberto Alagna, Juan Diego Florez or Jose Cura or some other Latin tenor singing today as Otello, Renee Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Natalie Dessay, Cecilia Bartoli or Andrea Rost as Desdemona! And Samuel Ramey can still sing a terrific Iago but so could Bryn Terfel, Justino Diaz and any other well-trained Rossini baritone of today's opera scene."

The opera goes on a bit but Otello reigns!

Armindo | Greece | 11/04/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is not one of Rossini's best works but the recording is worth it for Carreras and Ramey. Both chaps are fantastic even if some Rossini fioritura gives Carreras a hard time here and there. It's hard to imagine a more handsome voice for the role however. And who else could bring this heroic character to life? The young Ramey as Elmiro also stands out from the crowd with his promising regal voice.



Rossini continues his tradition with multiple tenors but Pastine and Fisichella sound rather indifferent and the latter's voice is an acquired taste. At least the contrast with Carreras' voice is evident. We know who Otello is!



Von Stade is a mezzo and unfortunately that says it all for me. I'm not a big fan of this type of voice. If you like Rossini mezzos she won't dissapoint, especially since her voice has a distinct warmth that makes her a convincing, fragile Desdemona. The willow song is eloquent. The fluttery top notes on the other hand are distracting.



Lopez Cobos is a sensitive conductor but I felt his conducting was a bit lifeless here. Then again, Rossini's works don't offer many opportunities for a conductor to stand out anyway.



The Opera Rara version achieves overall a better result I feel but this Philips classic is still a safe choice, especially with such a handsome sounding Otello!"

Carreras Was Never Better

Steven Muni | Sutter Creek, CA USA | 04/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is early dramatic Rossini, full of vim and vigor and not a lot of subtlety. And his librettist, Francisco Berio di Salsa, took considerable liberties with Shakespeare. This Otello is set entirely in Venice. It's as if the first scene of Shakespeare's play just got extended, and Otello kills Desdemona before they ever get married or make it to Cyprus. And Otello has to contend not only with Iago, but with Desdemona's father, Elmiro, who doesn't want his daughter marrying a black man. (Shades of the 20th century!)



This time Iago sets Otello up with a love letter from Desdemona that is meant for Otello but that goes astray, and Otello thinks it's intended for another, in this case Rodrigo, (not Cassio who isn't even in this version.)



This was recorded in 1978, when Carreras was at the height of his powers. To those of us primarily familiar with Carreras from his Three Tenor days and later, the young Carreras was a different singer all together. The voice was free and soaring, with a gorgeous tone and absolutely no sign of forcing or straining. And no wide vibrato, let alone wobble. Plus simply incredible top notes!



The rest of the cast is almost as good. Desdemona is sung by a wonderful mezzo, in this case Frederica von Stade. And her father is sung by the best bel canto bass of the 20th century, the incomparable Samuel Ramey. Both these singers are also in the prime of their careers. Iago is adequately if not breathtakingly sung by Gianfranco Pastine, and Italian light-lyric tenor Salvatore Fisichella does very well in the role of Rodrigo.



Jesus Lopez-Cobos keeps things moving well, if perhaps not with as much intensity as one would wish, and the Philharmonia Orchestra, (an opera pick-up orchestra particularly for recording), and the Ambrosian Opera Chorus (ditto) handle Rossini with ease. And the sound is excellent.



But it's really Carreras' opera. You need to hear this to really appreciate what a voice he had as a young man--like a young DiStefano, only sweeter. He is simply amazing!"