Otello

  The Lyric Opera's production of Otello had already seen it's share of drama with an opening night substitution for Baritone, Falk Struckmann who was replaced as Iago after the first act due to a severe allergy attack, which was to be followed by a back injury to  renowned tenor, Johan Botha which required immediate attention. Although Mr. Struckmann recovered, it was announced on Monday that Botha would not be able to sing in the last two performances. In both cases, the singers chosen were more than substitutes in their own right. By the time Tuesday's performance was about to begin, I was quite interested to hear how things would progress given that the roles of Otello and Iago are some of the most difficult in the standard operatic repertoire. I must admit that I had some preconceived notions with regard to Mr. Struckmann as I had heard excerpts of his singing, but only on recording. I prepared myself for the possibility of a bumpy ride as the curtain raised on the opening scene of Otello's boat fighting storms to make it in to port.

  Verdi's penultimate opera, Otello is based on the Shakespearean play of the same name with the libretto being adapted by composer and once outspoken critic of Verdi himself, Arrigo Boito. The story of Otello to me, is a character study in to the facets of personality and how one's perception of others and themselves can greatly effect their actions, no matter how rooted in truth or insecurity they may be.
The drama starts off on the island of Cyprus as the locals await the return of their governor, Otello, after having defeated the Turks in battle. It looks as if the ship may go under due to the storm, but to everyone's relief with the exception of Iago, makes it in to port.  The main action deals with Iago's plan to convince Otello that his bride, Desdemona, is unfaithful and really love with the young Captain, Cassio, which of course, is not true.

  Clifton Forbis sang the role of Otello in the place of Johan Botha, as mentioned earlier. From the moment he stepped on to the stage, it was obvious that Mr. Forbis was committed to the part of Otello, evident by the energy he gave, not only when singing, but in reaction to everyone and everything around him. His voice in the beginning seemed a bit timid, but one can only speculate as to his state of mind having to step in to this difficult situation with short notice. Mr. Forbis' upper register was very strong and his high notes sounded like metallic lightning bolts that cut through Verdi's thick textures and thunderous fortes. His middle and lower ranges left much to be desired for my ears as he sounded a bit warbly and tired through the first 2 acts. Those parts of his voice warmed up a bit in the 3rd act which was impressive given that the top of his voice didn't seem to tire the whole way through.

 The part of Iago was sung by dramatic Baritone, Falk Struckmann who was heard opposite Johan Botha in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Otello, featured in HD broadcast the previous season. Mr. Struckmann, like Mr. Forbis, was committed to the characterization of the scheming Iago. The quality of his voice, although not beautiful in my humble opinion, illustrated the cut throat mentality as heard in the baritone's 2nd act aria, "Credo in un Dio crudel".
Mr. Struckmann had no problem being heard above the orchestra regardless of their volume, but once again, was not as pleasing as I would hope for. His voice is a bit brutish and at times disconnected, not only in line, but with regard to dynamics. When singing piano, Mr. Struckmann's voice lost its color and tone quality. He resorted to falsetto when singing quiet phrases sitting in the passagio. An additional difficulty was the blend of Mr. Struckmann's voice with Mr. Forbis. The dramatic action of the second act deals mostly with the execution of Iago's plan to exploit Otello's insecurities. At the end of the act, Otello and Iago sing a powerful duet, "Sì, pel ciel marmoreo guiro".
Mr. Forbis' silvery tenor and Mr. Struckmann's rough air splitting baritone did not compliment each other, instead sounding like 2 soloists standing next to each other. I can't put fault on the singers themselves given that Mr. Forbis was a late substitution, but I'd be curious if the Lyric Opera management had given much thought to this.

  The part of Desdemona was beautifully sung by soprano, Ana Maria Martinez. Ms. Martinez brought out the delicate nature of Desdemona through her wonderfully connected line and sensitivity to dynamics especially in the middle and upper registers of her voice. She did come across as a bid tepid with regard to her acting in the first two acts, but the part of Desdemona doesn't really heat up that much until Act 3 & 4. Ms. Martinez successfully brought out the anguish and fear that Desdemona feels towards Otello after her public humiliation at his hands. This despondency resolves itself in to acceptance of her death as she awaits for Otello to enter. She sings, the aria known as "The Willow song", which Ms. Martinez sang beautifully with an effortless sounding spin that didn't sound pushed or overly dramatic.

  Making his Lyric Opera debut in the role of Cassio was Italian tenor, Antonio Poli. He has a beautiful lyric tenor voice that is even and bright sounding. I was disappointed that the role of Cassio didn't showcase him more and I hope that his association with the Lyric continues given that he has a Chicago connection with Maestro Riccardo Muti.

  The comprimario parts were sung by Ryan Center Artists. Baritone, Evan Boyer stood out as Lodovico, the Doge's representative. He has a dark and resonant voice, but lacked a bit of depth which in his defense, may not be a fair assessment without hearing him in a larger role. Julie Ann Miller sang the part of Emilia, Desdemona's servant (and wife to Iago). The role is quite small, but Ms. Miller's voice had a beautiful ring, that once again I wish I get to hear more of.

The orchestra sounded wonderful as it normally does, but I felt that the conductor, Bertrand De Billy allowed the thick textures of Verdi's score to overwhelm the singers, similar to that of the performance of Madama Butterfly a few weeks before. There were moments in the opening chorus when I wished for more singers on stage as it sounded like Maestro De Billy allowed the orchestra free reign in the forte sections upon Otello's arrival. The same was evident in the 3rd Act after Otello slap Desdemona to the disgust of onlookers. Whether or not the volume is exactly what Verdi called for doesn't matter if the chorus and comprimario parts are being drowned out and potentially forced to push themselves over the brink.

  The staging and sets of the opera seemed to be historically schizophrenic. By the appearance of the costume design, the dramatic action was set in mid 19th century Europe, as the ladies were dressed as if they had jumped out of a Jane Austen novel and the men clad in Napoleonic military garb. This would've been a perfectly acceptable perspective if the set didn't look like a matchstick version of a back alley tenement apartment building. At one point there was a ceiling fan hanging which I assume was supposed to give the audience a sense of the heat and tension taking place in the scene. Unfortunately, the ceiling fan was not in widespread use until the turn of the century and even then, only in the United States.

  This production of Otello at the Lyric Opera was a bit fractured and lacking in cohesive vision, not entirely the fault of the singers, musicians, or behind the scenes team. I left happy with specific performances and pieces, but unsatisfied with the production on the whole.