Otello - Premiere - Schedule, Program & Tickets
Otello - Premiere
Language
In Italian, surtitles in Czech, English
State Opera Choir
State Opera Orchestra
National Theatre Opera Ballet
Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir
Shakespeare (and Boito) and Verdi lead the title hero into an ever deeper abyss. The opera begins with a tremendous storm scene and the jubilant entry of Otello, the commander of the Venetian navy, who returns to Cyprus despite all the forces of nature and proclaims victory over the Ottoman Empire. The hero, however, makes the fatal mistake of trusting an evil man. Iago, a ruthless schemer consumed by lust for power, makes Otello's life hell. Trapped in his own delusions, Iago's intrigues drive the celebrated general into blind jealousy, which ultimately leads to murder. Verdi was aware of the extraordinary quality of Boito's libretto, the best he had encountered during his career as a composer. He believed that together they had created a masterpiece - and he was right.
The premiere on 5 February 1887 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan was a triumph, and after that Otello began its glorious journey around the world. On 7 January 1888, thanks to the quick intervention of its director František Adolf Šubert, the opera was performed in Czech at the National Theatre in Prague. The State Opera presented it for the first time on 20 December 1911 under the direction of Pietro von Stermich. The new production was taken over by the renowned drama director Martin Čičvák, who had already gained recognition at the State Opera with adaptations of Verdi's opera Macbeth, Paul Abraham's operetta Ball at the Savoy and Dmitri Shostakovich's opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
Subject to change.
In Italian, surtitles in Czech, English
State Opera Choir
State Opera Orchestra
National Theatre Opera Ballet
Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir
Shakespeare (and Boito) and Verdi lead the title hero into an ever deeper abyss. The opera begins with a tremendous storm scene and the jubilant entry of Otello, the commander of the Venetian navy, who returns to Cyprus despite all the forces of nature and proclaims victory over the Ottoman Empire. The hero, however, makes the fatal mistake of trusting an evil man. Iago, a ruthless schemer consumed by lust for power, makes Otello's life hell. Trapped in his own delusions, Iago's intrigues drive the celebrated general into blind jealousy, which ultimately leads to murder. Verdi was aware of the extraordinary quality of Boito's libretto, the best he had encountered during his career as a composer. He believed that together they had created a masterpiece - and he was right.
The premiere on 5 February 1887 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan was a triumph, and after that Otello began its glorious journey around the world. On 7 January 1888, thanks to the quick intervention of its director František Adolf Šubert, the opera was performed in Czech at the National Theatre in Prague. The State Opera presented it for the first time on 20 December 1911 under the direction of Pietro von Stermich. The new production was taken over by the renowned drama director Martin Čičvák, who had already gained recognition at the State Opera with adaptations of Verdi's opera Macbeth, Paul Abraham's operetta Ball at the Savoy and Dmitri Shostakovich's opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
Subject to change.