The Met Live in HD - Othello

The second offering in the Live From the Met in HD's 10th anniversary series was Verdi's Othello, which we saw earlier today.  Needless to say, it was a terrific production.  The role of Desdemona was beautifully sung by Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva.  Her rendition of the famous Willow Song was flawlessly done.

Interestingly and not unsurprisingly, the man who sang the role of the ill-fated Moor was not wearing brown makeup.  A sop to the malignant cancer of political correctness, no doubt.

The sets were very interesting, and were apparently made with nearly clear plexiglass.  They were moved around from time to time to suggest scenes and settings.

Seeing an opera close up and personal in a movie theatre allows you to see some of the small details.  For example, in the opening acts, Cassio, who started out wearing a cloth badge on his left breast signifying the rank of captain, had his badge ripped off and his rank reduced.  In later close-ups, you could see a tiny square of velcro the same color as his uniform jacket where the badge once was.

If you haven't attended a performance at a nearby theater, you are missing out on a treat.