Organization

Francesco Angelico

Mario Hartmuth

Conductor

Stage director

Anika Rutkofsky

Dramaturge

Teresa Martin

Chorus master

Marco Zeiser Celesti

Staatstheater Kassel

Set designer

Uta Gruber-Ballehr

Costume designer

Marie Sturminger

Lighting designer

Stefanie Dühr

Singer

Tenor

Eduardo Aladrén

Otello

Opernchor des Staatstheaters Kassel

Staatsorchester Kassel

Italian

Kassel

Germany

Opernhaus

Otello Verdi

Public

Opera

Othello

German

Approved

At the beginning, Otello emerges from the raging sea as a victorious returnee from the war, for Desdemona, the most beautiful woman in the country, and the cheering crowd are waiting - in short: as a hero. His comrades-in-arms surround him in awe, but Otello makes a mistake that is to be his undoing: he promotes the wrong person. Closely following Shakespeare's original, Verdi and his librettist Arrigo Boito then sketch the gradual questioning of the hero to the utter annihilation of a man who has achieved everything he dared to dream and yet seems to be standing on shaky ground. A stranger in Cyprus and under constant pressure to legitimize himself because of his own marginalization, Otello lacks the anchor points and so he gets caught by Jago of all people, who has an easy time with him. Jago, who was not promoted by Otello, begins with the resolution To ruin Otello socially, to sow doubts in him. And he not only stirs up jealousy in Otello, but weaves a whole social network of intrigues in which the others also become his pawns. Otello sees a lost handkerchief as proof of Desdemona's infidelity and dangerous rivals in his former allies. Jago pushes the game so far that Otello finally loses all connection to reality in his mania. The play concludes with the murder of Desdemona and Otello's suicide, perhaps as a last-ditch attempt at self-heroization. But the end of the hero is sealed. in which the others also become his playthings. Otello sees a lost handkerchief as proof of Desdemona's infidelity and dangerous rivals in his former allies. Jago pushes the game so far that Otello finally loses all connection to reality in his mania. The play concludes with the murder of Desdemona and Otello's suicide, perhaps as a last-ditch attempt at self-heroization. But the end of the hero is sealed. in which the others also become his playthings. Otello sees a lost handkerchief as proof of Desdemona's infidelity and dangerous rivals in his former allies. Jago pushes the game so far that Otello finally loses all connection to reality in his mania. The play concludes with the murder of Desdemona and Otello's suicide, perhaps as a last-ditch attempt at self-heroization. But the end of the hero is sealed. perhaps as a last-ditch attempt at self-heroization. But the end of the hero is sealed. perhaps as a last-ditch attempt at self-heroization. But the end of the hero is sealed.

Verdi's penultimate opera with a large, romantic orchestral sound that could hardly be more direct, intense and full of tension does not let go of the audience for a second. This opera thriller is being staged by director Anika Rutkofsky, who has already staged extremely successfully at the Stuttgart State Opera and won the Ring Award in 2021.

English

Zu Beginn entsteigt Otello dem tobenden Meer als siegreicher Kriegsheimkehrer, auf den Desdemona, die schönste Frau des Landes, und die jubelnde Menge wartet – kurz: als Held. Ehrfürchtig umringen ihn seine Mitstreiter, doch Otello leistet sich einen Fehler, der ihm zum Verhängnis werden soll: Er befördert den Falschen. Eng an Shakespeares Vorlage entlang skizzieren Verdi und sein Librettist Arrigo Boito daraufhin die schrittweise Infragestellung des Helden bis zur völligen Vernichtung eines Mannes, der alles erreicht hat, was er zu träumen wagte und doch auf unsicherem Boden zu stehen scheint. Fremd in Zypern und unter ständigem Legitimationszwang ob der eigenen Marginalisierung, fehlen Otello die Ankerpunkte und so gerät er ausgerechnet an Jago, der leichtes Spiel mit ihm hat. Jago, der von Otello nicht befördert wurde, beginnt mit dem Vorsatz, Otello gesellschaftlich zu ruinieren, Zweifel in ihm zu säen. Und er schürt nicht nur Eifersucht bei Otello, sondern spinnt ein ganzes gesellschaftliches Intrigengeflecht, in dem auch die anderen zu seinen Spielbällen werden. So sieht Otello in einem verlorenen Taschentuch bald den Beweis für Desdemonas Untreue und in seinen früheren Verbündeten gefährliche Nebenbuhler. Jago treibt das Spiel so weit, bis Otello in seiner Manie schließlich jeglichen Realitätsbezug verliert. Das Stück schließt mit dem Frauenmord an Desdemona und Otellos Selbstmord, vielleicht als ein letzter verzweifelter Versuch der Selbstheroisierung. Doch das Ende des Helden ist besiegelt.

Verdis vorletzte Oper mit großem, romantischem Orchesterklang, der direkter, intensiver und spannungsgeladener kaum sein könnte, lässt das Publikum keine Sekunde los. Inszeniert wird dieser Opernthriller von Regisseurin Anika Rutkofsky, die bereits überaus erfolgreich u. a. an der Staatsoper Stuttgart inszenierte und 2021 den Ring Award gewann.

Deutsch

Otello by Giuseppe Verdi, From (2024/2024), Directed by Anika Rutkofsky,, Conductor Francesco Angelico, Mario Hartmuth

Credits (Cast & Crew)

Staatstheater Kassel

Francesco Angelico

Mario Hartmuth

Anika Rutkofsky

Cast

Eduardo Aladrén

Crew

Teresa Martin

Marco Zeiser Celesti

Uta Gruber-Ballehr

Marie Sturminger

Stefanie Dühr

Ensemble

Opernchor des Staatstheaters Kassel

Staatsorchester Kassel

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues