Philadelphia, Sept. 27 (BUS): Rossini’s “Otello” premiered in 1816, the musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous play being a hit for seven decades. Verdi’s version then debuted in 1887 and was hailed as the pinnacle of the art form, causing Rossini’s version to recede into a rarity.
The Philadelphia Opera dug into it Friday night at the Academy of Music for the O22 Festival in a show by Tenor Lawrence Brownlee, the company’s artistic advisor.
“If you put it in the context of the year it was written, it’s like a modern opera,” said Corrado Ruvares, the Philadelphia music director who runs the race.
“It was a huge success. It was played everywhere, it was played everywhere. All the great singers wanted to sing that opera.”
With three main roles – Brownlee as Rodrigo, Caniso Guinxan as Otiello in his US debut, and Alec Schrader as Iago – it’s not easy to pick Rossini’s version. There is an additional element of race: Shakespeare is based on “Othello” in Cynthia’s short story “Un capitano moro (Moorish captain)”. Brownlee, 49, is from Youngstown, Ohio, and Junixan are both black. Brownlee was scheduled to sing Rodrigo in a 2016 production at Austrian theater an der Vienna, but said he was left out because the director couldn’t imagine Black Rodrigo.
“I finally got the chance to sing that role that I’ve always wanted to sing and that was restricted by my color,” Brownlee said.
“I’ve seen a stage musical and been more open to acting people in roles that I thought were considered historically Caucasian, even though some of them didn’t necessarily mention a specific Caucasian man or woman. Opera is trying to catch up. And the thing I appreciate about Philadelphia Opera is They really doubled down on their commitment to diversity, to make sure the theater feels like a representation of the people in the city.”
Verdi may have attended a Rossini version at the Teatro Alle Scala in Milan during the 1834-35 season, according to Mary Jane Phillips Matz’s “Verdi: A Biography”.
During an 1878 dinner in Milan with music editor Giulio Ricordi, Verdi said the conversation turned to a discussion of Rossini’s texts Francesco Perio di Salsa, which they considered untragic and unsatisfactory. Within days, Arrigo Boito began painting a text for Verdi’s libretto, and a letter was remembered between them.
Shakespeare performed “Othello” in Venice and Cyprus, while Perio di Salsa set the whole action in Venice. Boito focused on Iago’s evil and disrupting Otello’s marriage to Desdemona, with a stolen handkerchief a key dramatic device, while Berio di Salsa depicted the love triangle between Otello, Rodrigo, and Desdemona, in which the plot turns on a letter with a lock of hair.
Rossini completely drops Cassio. Better known for his comedies than his dramas, Rossini composed “Otello” as the first of his three works.
Said Daniela Mac, who sings the heroine and in real life is married to Shrader.
“It comes from her father. It comes from Rodrigo, to a lesser degree, but it sure is there, and from Otello at the end. It was in my mind that these two were in love and shared this mutual passion. It’s not like Romeo and Juliet at all. There. Fundamental violence in their relationship from the start.
Rossini’s last major American production was at the San Francisco Opera in 1994, although there have been concerts and smaller corporate releases, including Brooklyn’s LoftOpera in 2017.
Ruvares, music director since 2005, led Verdi’s version in Philadelphia in 2010. He performed the first Rossini at the 1998 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy, with the assistance of Rossini scholar Alberto Zed and musicologist Philippe Gossett. He led another show in 2010 at the Swiss Opera of Lausanne.
“It was very exciting for me to find in my dots all the decoration that we combined with Philippe Gossett when we did it in Pesaro,” said Ruvares.
This representation by Emilio Saggy, with one set in white and gray by Daniel Bianc and seemingly 1920s costumes by Gabriella Salaveri, debuted at the Belgian Opera Royale de Wallonie Liege last December and was set in a palace that seemed more appropriate for Germany or Switzerland from Venice.
The annual Philadelphia Festival, which kicked off in 2017, returns this season after missing two years to the pandemic. There are over 40 events taking place from September 21 to October 2, including the world premiere of David T Little’s “Black Lodge” and a new production of “The Raven” by Toshio Hosokawa, based on Edgar Allan Poe’s 1845 poem.