Florida Grand Opera opened its season with a production of Otello, to also celebrate the composer death anniversary, on November 9th, 2000 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

The production is not new and has been presented before. I did not like it. The first act hardly gave the impression of the island of Cyprus, the tempests, the raging sea etc. The stage has a couple of blocks to either side and what looked like a child's toy ship on the foreground. Act II was better but also very poor (the costumes were also standard and pretty simple and ugly), there was a table to the left and in the foreground some columns and a bench (where Desdemona and Cassio talk while Iago looks over them). Act III improved the situation a little bit, there was a fence and over the fence, the Council Chamber. The fence was lifted for the second half after Lodovico arrives with the message from the Doge. Act IV was poor again, a bed nobody would sleep in, in the center and to the left the infamous blocks (or rather a wall of blocks one on top of the other). As to the direction, the singer were pretty much left to themselves, only one thing was effective, after Otello demotes Cassio from captain and before the duet starts, Cassio looks helplessly to Desdemona and Otello begging for forgiveness.

Now to the singing. Vladimir Bogachov was Otello. He is a seasoned Otello having sung it around the globe many times. In the entrance, "Esultate", I was disappointed, the voice did not ring out like a clarion (as it should here) and sounded small and overparted. But when he came back ("Abasso le spade") although he could have used more volume, he displayed why he is considered one of the best Otellos nowadays. He sang with thrust, power and above all, plenty of pianissimos ! He even ended the duet with a piano together with the soprano (no mean feat, most Otellos prefer to sing this forte). In the second Act, he was even better, culminating in a rage of fury and despair in the duet with Iago. Act III was also very good, he displayed not only the offended general but also a man torn by jealousy and love. He sang a beautiful pianissimo in his aria and sang full forte when required and because he alternates so well the piano with the forte, his altercations with Desdemona sounded that more frightening ! Act IV was the crowing achievement of an excellent performance, he became an implacable Otello (his defiance to Emilia after she discovers he murdered Desdemona were perfect) and had plenty of voice left for a heart-rending "Niun mi tema" (incidentally here he gave full power to his voice, I wish he did "Esultate" that way !). 

Iago was sung by Richard Paul Fink. I have to confess I did not like him much in La Gioconda last season and in Otello it was not very much different. He is a good actor but his voice is dull and not pretty. He also does not have the power required (he got no applause at the end of Credo) and his Italian is certainly unidiomatic. He sang forte most of the times and ignored all the piano markings in the score.

Desdemona was sung by Emily Magee. It was also her FGO debut. She was very good, sang pianissimo when required and while lacking more power for some of the scenes (the confrontation with Otello and the concertato in Act III), she more than made up for her superb singing. She got a big ovation in the Ave Maria in Act IV where she floated a beautiful piano.

The comprimario were fine.

I did not like Steven Mercurio's conducting at all. In the opening in Act I the orchestra sounded like a military band and it did not improve much for the remaining acts. I know that the FGO orchestra can sound better than this.