A Moorish general's heart becomes a battlefield—Verdi's music makes Shakespeare bleed.
Verdi’s monumental score is fully the equal of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy—and both demand great actors. This is one performance where both playwright and composer are well served. Plácido Domingo’s Otello is one of the glories of the operatic world, beautifully sung and so commandingly acted that audiences are devastated by the end. Renée Fleming’s ravishingly beautiful Desdemona is deeply moving, and as Iago, James Morris is as beguiling as he is menacing. Under James Levine’s conducting the Met orchestra and chorus are vital characters in the drama.
Acting
Domingo's devastating descent from noble hero to broken murderer.
Direction
Moshinsky's intimate staging lets faces do what sets cannot.
Score
Verdi's final masterpiece—no aria wasted, every note a dagger.
Director
Brian Large
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Renée Fleming's first Desdemona at the Met—she'd become the definitive soprano in this role for decades.
Verdi spent 16 years between his penultimate opera Falstaff and Otello, terrified of matching Shakespeare's genius.
IT
