Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Herbert von Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Verdi: Otello

Great Cast, Great Recording

Timothy Kearney | Hull, MA United States | 01/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The premiere of OTELLO was one of the greatest moments in operatic history. Verdi was near the end of his career. Only FALSTAFF succeeded OTELLO and in the eyes of many, OTELLO is Verdi's greatest achievement. Music lovers of the day, who were usually late for performances made an exception and arrived early for OTELLO. The public was so excited at the premiere, riots nearly started on the streets of Milan. The crowds were so enthusiastic about the music, the applause and cheering was deafening, at least according to legend. OTELLO still causes excitement. This adaptation of the Shakespeare play, which tells of pure love as well as the tragedy that results when power and jealousy take control of a person is timeless. When the greatest singers are assembled and have the vocal gifts to bring this great work to life, the results are magical. Three great voices who are legendary in this opera include Mario Del Monaco as Otello, Renata Tebaldi as Desdemona, and Aldo Protti as Jago.



Verdi's OTELLO always tops my list of favorite operas, and Mario Del Monaco and Renata Tebaldi are my Otello and Desdemona of choice. I also enjoy Aldo Protti's Jago. Protti is masterful as the evil Jago. Fans of Tebaldi, Del Monaco, and Protti have a choice of two great recordings of this work: one under the baton of Alberto Erede and the other under Herbert Von Karajan's direction. The Karajan recording dates back to 1961 and is one of the standard bearers of this great work.



Many people looking at this review are probably trying to decide between this recording and the Erede version. Both are among the best recordings of this work. While either would make an excellent choice, there are a few differences. The principals, particularly Del Monaco, are not as clean as in the Erede set, but all three are comfortable in their roles which give the recording a dramatic intensity. In the Karajan set, the orchestra is the trademark full blown sound characteristic of most Karajan sets. For those who love Karajan's sound, this will be an asset. I happen to love the Karajan recordings I have in my collection, especially the OTELLO.



This set includes a full libretto as well as some background information about Verdi and the opera. One thing I found disappointing is that the CD version does not include the ballet music inserted into Act III. While this was added after the premiere, and is not an example of Verdi's greatest music, the LP and cassette versions include it. I grew accustomed to hearing the music, and miss it in the CD version. Even without the ballet music, this is still a superior recording.

"

The most powerful Otello

Mark | United States | 02/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With a cast like Del Monaco and Tebaldi and Karajan as conductor you should well expect to listen to the most exciting Otello ever. And You will.From the opening notes you feel the storm, the craziness in cyprus, with Jon Culshow (producer) making us hear the sounds of the wind and all the other elements. Karajan goes fast and sounds really great.Then "Esultate". Well be sure that no other tenor EVER have delivered such a powerful phrase. Del Monaco is unique here. His voice shines powerfully at high notes, screws at pianos but acts so good and let you feel his rage on Desdemona.And about Desdemona...Tebaldi is unequaled. Pianis as much as you'll love to hear. She made the fisrt act final romance entered history delivering the best she has got. Well, on stage, it was said that she had no theatrical presence. But on record, her voice in real tears in the 3rd and 4th act made her desdemona the best on record. About Protti...Too bad he isn't the 1961 Serafin Gobbi. Ok he is what he is...acceptable.I have found this CD (only in France, I don't know about other place)in a remastered version of DECCA ROUGE OPERA which is much better that this original one. Try to get it. It is also at a very reasonable price.So this recording IS great. DEL MONACO must be heared as OTELLO.
All the rest are very good.
Get this recording!"

A Grand Otello

Rudy Avila | Lennox, Ca United States | 11/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Otello, starring the stentorian tenor Mario Del Monaco, soprano Renata Tebaldi and baritone Aldo Protti is largely considered the greatest of the post World War II LP Era. It is a very old-school Otello, with emphasis on the grand Italian opera technique and the singers are in top shape and the sound quality is supreme on this digitally remastered recording. Mario Del Monaco makes a fearsome Otello, every bit the proud, roaring "lion of Saint Mark" he is said to be. From his opening exclamation: "Exultate!" to his first slip into jealous madness "Ora Per Sempre Addio" and his confrontations with Desdemonas are all incredibly dramatic and vocally magnificent. For a long period of time, Del Monaco was considered the undisputed finest interpretor of Otello. Jon Vickers and Placido Domingo followed in his footsteps. Del Monaco may be quite, well "hammy" in certain scenes, but he was an incredible actor and his voice, which is the biggest to date, soared above the orchestra and awed audiences worldwide. Though he wore "black paint" he was statuesque and grand in his dramatic gestures. As for Renata Tebaldi, she owned the role of Desdemona, for not even Maria Callas sang it on stage during her own career. This role was entirely her own, and she sang the heck out of it. Lyric enough to appear vulnerable and innocent as Desdemona is, she was also able to project enough bite and dramatic ardor. It's a lush Desdemona, a regal Desdemona, and very few sopranos were able to sing it that way. Her teamwork with Del Monaco was virtuosic. They recorded several big operas on LP- Tosca, Aida, La Forza Del Destino, Mefistofele. As for the baritone Aldo Protti (who ?) he's only serviceable as Iago. This is a shame. With George London around, and Tito Gobbi, it's a shame they cast a singer who does not put any real effort into the part of Iago, which is a pivotal part. His villainous scheming, his greed and the complexities of his character should surface in the singing. And Protti does nothing to impress us. But this is only a slight and trivial mistake. Other great Otellos you might want to check out include Placido Domingo's several Otellos on recording, Jon Vickers Otellos and that of James McKraken. All fine Otellos but in size and volume they do not compare to Del Monaco, the master of grand opera."