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Verdi’s last tragic opera Otello, like Shakespeare’s play, is a shattering psychological drama. The new production for the Salzburg Festival is directed by Stephen Langridge, who in 2006 attracted attention with his production of Offenbach’s Bluebeard in Bregenz. Riccardo Muti, one of the best Verdi conductors of our time, is returning to Salzburg. Alongside to the Spanish baritone Carlos Álvarez as Jago, two rising international singers of the younger generation can be heard as Otello and Desdemona: the Latvian spinto tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko and the Russian soprano Marina Poplavskaya. Performed at Salzburg Festival 2008. 142 min + Intermission.

About the opera: Aida is a well-known and well-loved opera. It was originally set in Ancient Egypt. This production from the Bregenz Festival is slightly unusual – first of all, the stage is floating in the middle of a lake! (You can see a picture of the set and stage here.) On top of that, the costumes are a mix of contemporary (pink go-go dancer outfits and riot gear) and traditional (Egyptian high priest robes). There are a couple of slightly risqué moments (“risqué” by opera standards): chiseled men wearing only boxers (and inexplicably, black tee shirts over their heads) being shoved around by groups of women and gestured at provocatively, etc. The entire action takes place on what looks like a giant replica of the feet of the Statue of Liberty. All of these details are even more interesting, thanks to the camera’s close gaze. The singing and the sound quality is exceptional – since there are no acoustics in the middle of lake, all the singers and the orchestra are mic-ed. The audience is treated to near-perfect sound as a result.

Performed at Teatro Comunale, Bologna, Italy

”In Bologna [Kate Aldrich] is a beautifully burnished Adalgisa, perfectly holding her own opposite one of the great singers of today, Daniela Dessì (…) attacking her part with confidence, sporting a beautifully burnished voice.” -(Opera Chic)

Bellini wrote “Norma” at age 30. It became his greatest achievement, and it is now regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition. The title role is generally considered one of the most difficult in the soprano repertoire. It includes the famous aria “Casta Diva,” which is often associated with opera legend Maria Callas.

Tosca was called a “shabby little shocker” by one English critic, but that’s an understatement: Tosca is a fiercely effective masterpiece of music-drama. Puccini had been interested in the Sardou’s play La Tosca for some time, but by 1895 the rights belonged to another composer, Alberto Franchetti. However, the publisher Ricordi and librettist Luigi Illica had no trouble persuading Franchetti to surrender the rights, telling him the subject matter – rape, murder, warring political factions – were far too vulgar for the Roman public’s taste. Soon after, Puccini was busy at work with the complete libretto in hand. Puccini approached the opera with his usual meticulousness – travelling to Rome to hear the tones of the bells in Castel Sant’Angelo, marking the exact pitch of the bell at St. Peter’s. Puccini also made two important changes to the libretto. He rejected an aria sung by Cavaradossi under torture, instead replacing it with the quartet; he felt that the static nature of the aria would slow the drama. Likewise, Puccini rejected both a poetic aria and transcendental love duet for the couple before Cavaradossi’s execution. Ricordi found the “acting lesson” scene too perfunctory, but Puccini insisted that Tosca would not waste her time on flowery language – and of course, the drama proves that he was right.

From Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa, Italy. Recorded live on June 10, 2010