Otello at the Vienna Staatsoper a night of excellent singing, regrettable staging

By Chanda VanderHart, 19 September 2013

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Reviewed at Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna on 17 September 2013

Verdi, Otello

Vienna State Opera

Dan Ettinger, Conductor

Christine Mielitz, Director

Anja Harteros, Desdemona

José Cura, Otello

Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Iago

Tragedy in the mirror: Minghella’s Madama Butterfly in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 14th March

Ermonela Jaho returns to one of her signature roles as Cio-Cio-San, delivering a searing and deeply nuanced portrayal.

****1

Too much and too little: Jan Lauwers’ restless Clemenza in Vienna

Chanda VanderHart, 12th March

The creative team behind the new Staatsoper Clemenza is unwilling to trust that Mozart’s opera is interesting enough to stand on its own.

***11

An Idomeneo shattered to pieces at the Wiener Staatsoper

Orsolya Gyárfás, 23rd January

A committed cast struggles to lend a spark of life to Kasper Holten's static staging of Mozart's first mature opera.

**111

A holiday Bohème: Puccini, Zeffirelli and tradition in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 21st December

Giacomo Sagripanti conducts a luxuriant reading with a cast anchored by Juan Diego Flórez and Nicole Car, in Zeffirelli’s familiar, generous, unabashedly emotional production.

***11

Stikhina, Tézier and Tetelman outstanding in classic Vienna Tosca

Mark Pullinger, 20th September

It may be on its 663rd outing, but Margarethe Wallmann's Tosca is a classic for a reason, as proved in this outstanding performance at the Wiener Staatsoper.

*****

Lise auf Naxos: Davidsen makes a triumphant return to Ariadne

Mark Pullinger, 28th January

Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen returns to Sven-Eric Bechtolf's lean but polished production with an outstanding cast, outstandingly conducted.

****1

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Chanda VanderHart

Dr. Chanda VanderHart is a pianist, musicologist and creative who lives, works and plays in Vienna, Austria. For more on Chanda and her projects, click here.