Otello, the Italian operatic adaptation by composer Giuseppe Verdi and librettist Arrigo Boito of the great Shakespearian play, Othello, will be revived at Tel Aviv’s Israeli Opera next month with tenor Kristian Benedikt in the titular role, baritone Ionut Pascu as the villainous Iago, and soprano Iulia Maria Dan as the lovely Desdemona.
In 2019, the Vienna State Opera production was directed by Adrian Noble, who literally wrote the book about bringing the works of Shakespeare to life, How to Do Shakespeare (2009). A roaring success since its first performance in 1887, Otello is a rare artistic achievement.
“A good libretto is one that distills the source material,” revival director Niv Hoffman told The Jerusalem Post. Verdi and Boito achieved just that with Credo in “Credo in un Dio crudel” (“I believe in a cruel God”), an aria they composed for Iago, not included in the original play.
When Jonas Kaufmann performed Otello at the Royal Opera House (with Marco Vratogna as Iago), he described the role as “a tenor’s mount Everest” (a recording of this performance was released by Sony Classical). Hoffman nodded in approval at this description. “Otello is a difficult role that slays tenors, people can finish a performance without any voice,” he told the Post.
Hoffman stressed that while Noble had pushed forward the time period of the opera to the early 20th century when Cyprus was under British rule after centuries of Ottoman rule like the land of Israel, that was an unplanned connection, and “the work should be allowed to speak for itself.”
“I hate the Moor,” Shakespeare has Iago say, yet leaves the reason for this hatred silent. Otello is a dark-skinned war hero who, despite being a Muslim, serves the Christian Republic of Venice and is Iago’s superior.
If theater-goers are left to wonder whether Iago hates Otello because he is a racist or because he was skipped for promotion, opera patrons are rewarded with his aria. “Credo l’uom gioco d’iniqua sorte dal germe della culla al verme dell’avel” (“I believe man to be the sport of an unjust fate from the germ of the cradle to the worm of the grave”) Iago informs us, and, as he suspects there is no afterlife, there is no judgment beyond the grave to deter him. His is an evil that is cosmic in its dimensions: man’s emotions and soul are reduced to germs and atoms and so, stripped of all meaning.
Having performed brilliantly as Verdi’s Rigoletto and Antonín Dvorák’s Vodnik in Rusalka, both tragic fathers who lose their daughters, Pascu was asked if Iago’s childlessness could be seen as one more possible motivation for his actions.
“The absence of fatherhood, both literally and metaphorically, creates a vacuum,” he told the Post, noting that Otello also lacks such a grounding force. For Pascu, the hero and the villain mirror each other in that aspect.
A strong and honorable man, Otello is isolated and vulnerable to Iago’s manipulations while the latter “lacks any sense of legacy or moral compass, which allows his nihilism to flourish unchecked,” he said.
Pascu added: “Iago is not just a villain; he’s a mirror to the darker impulses of humanity. Playing him is both a challenge and a privilege.”
Verdi’s genius also worked in another direction. As his Iago becomes more monstrous, his Desdemona (in Greek and Latin the name connotes misfortune) becomes saintlier.
Iago, it might be noted, is derived from the Hebrew name Jacob. While, in Jewish tradition, Jacob’s ability to take over the rights of the firstborn from his twin brother Esau is positive, for Shakespeare his name hints at being a supplanter.
According to Maria Dan, who interprets Desdemona, Shakespeare often lends wit to his female characters. Ophelia, a role she performed in Franco Faccio’s Amleto, has a battle of wits with Hamlet. Yet, while both Ophelia and Desdemona are destroyed by loving men who never tell them everything that is going on, Desdemona is not given such lines. “She is there to make men look bad,” Dan told the Post.
As she sees the role, Desdemona is deeply attracted to Otello.
“He is an extremely able and intelligent man,” she emphasized, “she sees how special he is. She does not want to be a little lamb by his side, she wants to be with him because he offers escape from a limited life and is also, she thinks, a man who can keep her safe.”
Lauded for her pianissimo (singing softly) skills and breath control – which allows her to easily sing the long lines in this opera – Dan is likely to offer opera patrons an unforgettable heroine on stage.
For Pascu, it is vital to express how fractured Iago is.
“I work on creating stark contrasts [in singing him]: smooth persuasive tones when he is deceiving others, and sharp cutting edges when his true nature surfaces,” he said.
This insight into Iago, the manner in which he is broken into many different bits and pieces, can be visually appreciated while watching the 1986 film adaptation of this opera, produced by Yoram Globes and Mencham Golan. Director Franco Zeffirelli had his Iago (Justino Díaz) sow jealousy and doubt in Otello’s heart in the map room, where the various magnifying glasses – instruments meant for order and control – distort his face, symbolically smashing his psyche.
With the title role played by Plácido Domingo, this film remains one of the best silver screen adaptations to Verdi’s opera. Domingo’s dark make-up, an opera tradition that went out of fashion in recent years due to concerns it borders on “blackface” – and the belly dancers and whirling dervishes in the dance scenes – depict an oriental “otherness” in ways not permissible today.
Asked if she and Pascu exploit the fact they are both Romanian to chat over the head of the other singers, Maria Dan burst into peals of laughter. “We do speak in Romanian with one another,” she confirmed, “but not because of that, it is just fun to speak Romanian when we can.”
The director's "family"
As a director, Hoffman considers the members of the Israeli Opera his “family.”
“This is the third Vienna State Opera production I revive here and people are willing to go above and beyond to have this production be on the highest possible level.” He said he was “amazed” at the level of steadfast drive for excellence.
“The opera we have here is a miracle,” Hoffman concluded.
Otello, by Giuseppe Verdi, will premiere at Tel Aviv’s Israeli Opera, 19 Shaul Hamelech St., on Sun., Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. with eight planned performances after that date. The final show is planned for Thurs., Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. Durantion: Three hours with an intermission. Italian with Hebrew and English subtitles. NIS 205- NIS 467 per ticket, (03) 692-7777.