Verdi - Otello (Opus Arte)

This new DVD does, however, seem to boast little to attract he who already owns the production on video. The picture quality is variable, sharper when the camera gazes more intimately but lacking definition from afar. Act One's opening, with its murkily-lit storm scene and visually suggestive fire chorus, is especially poorly rendered here, specifics difficult to make out. The release also boasts no extras and nothing of particular interest in the accompanying booklet. One might not expect more, but this production is of a status that deserves finer treatment on the DVD medium.

The sound is in stereo, with no option of DTS audio, but what we do have is excellent. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House's sturdy, explosive performance is captured in fine detail. Georg Solti conducts with fervour, drilling great amounts of energy into each set piece, allowing the 'big' moments to truly register. The storm thrashes with cosmic power, while the music's lyrical seams provide beautiful dramatic counterpoint. Iago's drinking song pulsates with devilish rhythmic impetus and the drama's unravelling in Act II is painted in harrowing shades of black. Some finer subtlety is perhaps missed later on, but the orchestral performance is aurally mesmerising throughout.

So too is the singing. Placido Domingo's vocal interpretation of Otello is a lyrical one, rich in tone and beautiful in phrasing. The Esultate! generally throws tenors wildly off course, but here the delivery is majestic, the famous golden ring in Domingo's upper register powerfully evident. The tenor never tires, retaining his power and precision of delivery until the very end. He also proves a commanding and extraordinarily handsome figure on stage, descending to Shakespeare's grotesque Moorish stereotype of Act IV in vivid, harrowing stages. I'm not sure that Domingo's interpretation has been caught better elsewhere on video or audio.

Sergei Leiferkus sings Iago superbly, with a rich and unpleasantly oily voice, and though he tends to under-act, the role's ambiguous nature is strongly conveyed. Kiri Te Kanawa's Desdemona is somewhat less successful, the artist lacking an obvious physical beauty and an ease of vocal delivery to suggest that she is truly at one with the role. Having said that, she sings with poise and great attention to detail, and is highly moving in the Act IV scena. All other roles are cast from strength, Robin Leggate's Cassio particularly of note. Elijah Moshinsky's production is vividly lit and dramatically serviceable, traditional, but alive.

Then there is the small matter of Verdi's work itself, one of the great masterpieces of both Italian opera and Western Art in general. This is drama that is as texturally rich, tightly-constructed and dramatically engrossing as it comes. When performed well, as here, the result can be overwhelming.

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