Opera North’s Otello is not a production characterised by its subtlety. Big, brash and overbearing sets; Verdi’s score tugging at extremities of texture and volume; characters moved to rage, grief or jealousy at the merest of master villain Iago’s suggestion. And it’s all the better for it. This is, for the most part, a monochromatic production. The few ambiguities left are chosen deliberately to produce a surprising take on the classic Shakespeare tale.
Our eponymous anti-hero Otello is granted the least nuance of them all. None here of the “courageous villain” we’re often left sympathising with in more ambiguous productions. No, this Otello is an out-and-out baddie. Ronald Samm’s imposing stage presence does little to soften the edges: from the moment we meet his spurned general the ugly jealousy not so much simmers beneath the surface as spills out across the stage. Even the first aria with Desdemona, on paper an ecstatic declaration of love, is cold and detached, the lovers separated across a balcony (it’s Shakespearean tragedy – of course there’s a balcony).
David Kempster’s Iago, by contrast, is a little more multi-faceted. This interpretation plays up the motivations of a character most often depicted as outright wicked in a surprisingly touching second act scene. His Credo in un dio crudel (“I believe in a cruel god”), in the linear and brutal context of the set, is an insight into the drives of a deeply troubled man, his nihilism spurred on less by hate than by despondency.
As we move beyond the interval, though, it’s Elena Kelessidi’s Desdemona who steals the show. In the first and second acts she seems merely a foil to Otello’s rage; all raised forearms and passionate sighs. But there’s a quiet defiance growing almost imperceptibly, which finds its climax in the arresting opening to the fourth act. In the famous Willow Song she duets with Richard Farnes’ orchestra, soaring and swelling with the pent-up emotions hidden beneath that previously wooden exterior. The contrast is simply breathtaking, and places the audience as putty in Tim Albery’s hands, awaiting the rush of devastation before the curtain falls for the final time.
Vocally this production doesn’t stand amongst Opera North’s best: there are no weak links, but Desdemona’s act four performance is the only truly showstopping solo. The ensemble pieces are excellently done, though, adding much needed levity at key moments throughout. But really it’s the orchestra under Richard Farnes’ baton who shine through, with an extraordinary sensitivity and urgency making the most of Verdi’s complex and colourful score.
Otello is on at Leeds Grand on various dates until Feb 16th, then touring to Newcastle, Belfast, Salford and Nottingham.