Bachtrack logo
What's on
All eventsConcertsOperaDanceKids eventsMasterclassesCompetitionsFestivals
Reviews
All reviewsConcert reviewsOpera reviewsDance reviews
Articles
All articlesFeaturesInterviewsOpinionPlaylists
News
Video
Video homeAll videoStreamed eventsConcertsOperaDanceKids eventsMasterclassesPublishers
Site
About usContact usLink to usConditions of useCookiesPrivacy
Young artists
Travel
EventsReviewsArticlesVideo

Rossinian vocal fireworks overcome dramatic torpor in Opera Philadelphia's Otello

Khanyiso Gwenxane (Otello), Colin Doyle (Doge) and the Opera Philadelphia Chorus
© Steven Pisano
Daniela Mack (Desdemona) and Khanyiso Gwenxane (Otello)
© Steven Pisano
Alek Shrader (Iago) and Khanyisa Gwenxane (Otello)
© Steven Pisano
Lawrence Brownlee (Rodrigo) and the Opera Philadelphia Chorus
© Steven Pisano
A scene from Otello
© Steven Pisano
By Cameron Kelsall, 01 October 2022
Loading, please wait...
See full listing
“Brownlee seemed only to gain in color and dexterity as the passagework became more intricate”
Reviewed at Academy of Music, Philadelphia on 30 September 2022
Programme
Rossini, Otello
Performers
Opera Philadelphia
Corrado Rovaris, Conductor
Emilio Sagi, Director
Daniel Bianco, Set Designer
Gabriela Salaverri, Costume Designer
Eduardo Bravo, Lighting Designer
Opera Philadelphia Orchestra
Opera Philadelphia Chorus
Khanyiso Gwenxane, Otello
Daniela Mack, Desdemona
Lawrence Brownlee, Rodrigo
Alek Shrader, Iago
Sun-Ly Pierce, Emilia
Christian Pursell, Elmiro
Aaron Crouch, Un gondoliere
More Opera reviews
A sorta fairy tale: Sleepers Awake premieres at Opera Philadelphia
Cameron Kelsall, 22nd April
A new opera by Gregory Spears subverts the Sleeping Beauty trope, with middling results.
**111
Opera by committee: Opera Philadelphia premieres Complications in Sue
Cameron Kelsall, 4th February
Opera Philadelphia commissions ten composers to tell the story of an ordinary woman's idiosyncratic march from cradle to tomb.
****1
A didactic Decameron: The Seasons at Opera Philadelphia
Cameron Kelsall, 20th December
Conceived by Anthony Roth Costanzo and Sarah Ruhl, this high-handed pasticcio sets the climate crisis to a soundtrack of Vivaldi.
***11
A long, strange trip: Opera Philadelphia’s Il viaggio a Reims
Cameron Kelsall, 19th September
The intrepid company brings Damiano Michieletto’s well-traveled production of a Rossini rarity to the US for the first time. 
***11
The Listeners: daring psychological thriller at Opera Philadelphia
Cameron Kelsall, 25th September
The new opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek draws on cult mindsets and conspiracy theories but smartly avoids sensationalism. 
****1
Opera Philadelphia's Unholy Wars creates a dialogue with Monteverdi
Cameron Kelsall, 23rd September
Arab-American tenor Karim Sulayman devises a thoughtful pastiche that centers the perspective omitted from Early Modern depictions of the Middle East in music.
****1
More reviews...
Read reviews of
Aaron CrouchAlek ShraderChristian PursellCorrado RovarisDaniel BiancoDaniela MackEduardo BravoEmilio SagiGabriela SalaverriGioachino RossiniKhanyiso GwenxaneLawrence BrownleeOpera PhiladelphiaOpera Philadelphia ChorusOpera Philadelphia OrchestraOtelloSun-Ly Pierce
Related articles
Loading image...
Pure agilità: Aya Wakizono returns to Tokyo
Loading image...
Bel canto and beyond: Kazushi Ono on New National Theatre, Tokyo
Loading image...
The art of memory: classical music for mourning
Loading image...
Opera in the blood: Speranza Scappucci
More by Cameron Kelsall
Loading image...
A sorta fairy tale: Sleepers Awake premieres at Opera Philadelphia
Loading image...
A superb Salzburg sojourn: the Philadelphia Orchestra plays Mozart
Loading image...
Andris Nelsons and the BSO arrive in New York, with baggage in tow
Loading image...
Amy Beach’s Gaelic returns to the Philadelphia Orchestra after 100-year absence
Cameron Kelsall
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall is a classical music critic and cultural reporter. He has written for Bachtrack since 2019, and his byline has appeared in many national and international classical music publications. Based in Philadelphia, he regularly travels around the United States for musical events. In addition to his career in journalism, Cameron also teaches in the Theatre Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a certified sommelier and avid home cook. His favorite composer is Mahler. Twitter: @CameronPKelsall.