Once again, Yoland.....Thank You! Mr. Domingo will always continue to amaze me whether he is singing or discussing a role. He doesn't just sing the notes, he becomes the character. Magic.
I saw Domingo three times in the theater as Otello. Absolutely amazing, brilliantly sung, vividly portrayed. Yes, I also saw Vickers, who was even more intense but lacked Domingo’s opulent sound.
I saw his Otello twice in Vienna. It has been over 30 years, and I am yet to experience anything remotely similar to what he did in this role. I wish I were older (a strange thing to say for a woman), to have seen his performances of the 1970s.
Kuriant Otelo vaidmenį daugiau galvojote apie charakterio kūrimą negu apie dainavimą. Nors ne viską supratau,bet labai malonu stebėti Jūsų kalbėjimą,sekti Jūsų išraiškingą veidą,labai daug niuansų veide,akyse!❤
"No coward soul is mine," is how Emily Bronte started one of her poems, and regarding this posting and why I waited 4 days to write this Now- I've got a coward soul, Big Time! Verdi's Otello captured Shakespeare In The Music in a way the Bard was never captured before- not by Tchaikovsky ( Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet) nor Berlioz (Romeo and Juliet) nor Dvorak (Othello overture), nor Schubert. I deliberately avoided opera because holding a candle to Verdi in his chosen field doing Shakespeare-a poet this Italian thought the world of- is preposterous ( although Deems Taylor said in an essay he thought Wagner believed he was Shakespeare, Plato and Beethoven, rolled into one). And Verdi captured Shakespeare's Othello "In The Music." The aria Dio! mi potevi is my all time favorite, period- Verdi captured the bleak agony I see in King Lear- my favorite play AND work of Art- and musically I made Otello my favorite Italian Opera from the moment I first heard it. ( And you also know the the play Macbeth meant so much to me that I avoided Verdi's Macbeth for over 3 decades. When I saw the 2018 Berlin production you posted last year, I heard/saw it 3 times in a row- THAT was Macbeth in music, and I posted that I should have trusted Verdi. Now with this very personal half hour "talk" on Otello, I did something new totally out of respect for you- I read the Whole libretto of Boito, rather than selections given in video productions ( multiple ones of yours, plus Jon Vickers with Mirella Freni and Karajan- my Mario del Monoco CD has no attempt at English translations. I Really Did Not Want to do this, but I felt my comments would be lacking a full overview here unless I did. The result was whiplash. That libretto isn't Othello, and I am not being overly picky, either. The sung words to the opera is NOt Shakespeare's characters.
Maestro: I just this second finished your half-hour remarks on Otello. I am totally struck dumb. I am speechless, which is weird for those who know me. I will be posting again when I get back my equilibrium, but suffice it to say this this was your Golden Moment, at least for me. What!? Blasphemy!! What about his SINGING the role of Otello, or Cavaradossi, or Lohengrin? Well, egghead that I am- put that together with my being looney where Shakespeare is concerned: the result was this talk, I believe ( to quote Churchill) was your "Finest Hour."
Here comes a coward soul of Colleen-BignTime! Perhaps Boito should not be.put on the rack, because the characters of Othello- and especially Desdemona- as conceived by Shakespeare have been subject to a lack.of comprehension by critics- worse than any other of his characters. In the 500 years since it was written, this play has been coveted by actors wishing to play Iago rather than the Moor of Venice. A superficial reading makes Othello look like an ignorant dumbbell for falling for Iago's poison, while Desdemona has been described in words that make.me cringe by critics- who should know better. Our heroine is not a weakling nor is she a shallow reader of fiction romances who is infatuated by Othello's tales of adventure with no idea of what she's getting into- and some critics even figuratively smack their lips in relish that Desdemona gets what she deserves. This could not be farther than my opinion of her, with Desdemona the only name I Ever considered changing.my.own name to. Shakespeare's 4 great Tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth- only Othello is the one with a moving Love Story. Ophelia chooses her father over the Romantic man.in.her life ( practically.the.only sympathetic female lead role to do so-Loyalty.meant everything to Shakespeare); King Lear isn't a story.of Romantic love, nor is Macbeth- at least in the latter play it isn't emphasized, while Professor Bloom and others have called the Macbeths the happiest.marriage of the Bard's tragedies. Cleopatra is quite.passionate about Antony and visa-versa, but the emphasis of that.play is.politcs. Which leaves Romeo and Juliet, possibly.Shakespeare's most popular.play. Juliet is totally sympathetic to me ( as is Romeo), especially her.lines.on.the balcony about if Romeo's purpose is honorable- marriage- then set the time "And all.my.fortunes at thy feet I lay, and follow thee, my Lord, throughout the world." And she means it. But Othello is about an adult marriage and I believe, true love. And I know I'm in a minority saying this. Desdemona, as you say, is crazy about Othello. She disobeyed.her father-a Big thing in Renaissance Italy. She tells the senators "I saw Othello's visage in his mind"-so obviously she didn't marry for good looks. She tells the whole Senate in from.of everyone that she wants to go to Cyprus for the rights she married him- meaning flat-out, she want the carnal side of Love. In the.play she is quite playful and almost naughty in her banter with Iago and Emilia while waiting for her husband to land in Cyprus. In the PLAY, Othello's first greeting " My Fair Warrior" to which Desdemona replies "My dear Othello." Rather than being stupidly.obtuse about Cassio, in the PLAY she is quite playful, eliciting Othello's "Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee. And when love thee not, chaos is come again." It is beyond.her thinking in the scene her husband treats her like a whore in.a brothel because.of exactly the words Othello uses. When he strikes her in front of the embassy from Venice, she responds aloud "I have not deserved this." And possibly the ultimate lines of Love "Commend me to.my kind Lord" meaning her husband- a lie on her deathbed- VERY serious for what the Church teaches of Salvation- to.protect.Othello, who she believes has been deceived and only murders her because of belief in a lie. And of course, I HATE the lines changed in.the Zeffirelli film "Commend me to the lord"- meaning God -is a travesty of Shakespeare.
A book I cherish "A Few Words About Shakespeare's.plays" by a 18th Century Swiss goatherd named Ulrich Beaker cannot be matched in some of.his.opinions. He writes the.memorable.linen "If we.have.Iago, then.we don't need Satan."--This, paired with Coleridge's "The motive- hunting.of.motiveless.malingnoty." Shakespeae.made.Iago truly a stand- in for Satan. All the evil of the play is concentrated in.this.one character- who.ALL the characters trust as an angel.of.light, from Othello, Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia, Rodrigo- with so.many calling.him."Honest Iago" that Iago makes an evil joke of it in a private soliloquy, calling.himself to.himself "Honest Iago"- with a wicked sneer. As Swiss goatherd Braker says " He.proceeds to break .the necks.of.nearly.every.one.of.them." Braker also calls.it Shakespeare's "cruellest play" that Shakespeare stuck at the end to keep readers who experienced it from turning from him with sick stomachs. If Othello.killed.in a rage, it would have been less painful.to Brake than the calm, deliberate manner.he.approached.it. In his last soliloquy about his "journey's end" he speaks so well after his hysteria following his murder that.my hubby said, while viewing the.play for the first time "Well, he got his nobility back Fast." From Othello's mighty power and strength in his first scene "Put up.yout.bright.swords, or the dew will rust.them" and "Were it my.cue to fight, I would know.it without a.prompter.".( Totally.fearless);.to.his.initial dialogue with deceiver Iago: For she had eyes, and chose.me." I agree with your statement that true.love existed between Othello and Desdemona AND that he thought of himself as Catholic. To.your statement of."He (.Othello).believes he will see her again on.the.other side" I am.wondering.if that.is.overly optimistic. When the truth is out, at the end, Othello speaks to a pinioned Iago of Why did he destroy.my soul? And looking at the corpse of his wife "Cold,.my.girl? Even as thy.chastity."And that this scene will send Desdemona's soul to heaven, while "fiends ( demons) are snatching at his." I don't know if the play's Othello believes he will escape Hellfire, but he cannot live with what he's just done. PS: Othello in not a stupid dupe.to fall for Iago's deceit. Shakespeare created this scene so skillfully, with the Ensign so totally evil in.a.deliberate.non-chalant manner-poisoning.Othello's mind in a realistic, believable way to.as such keep sympathy with Othello ( at.lesst those who.read the.footnotes) as, man or woman reading it-.wonders.if.he/she would fall for such.clever, manipulative evil,.listening to an Iago in their own.lives? PPS: With a bewildered, heartbroken Desdemona after the "brothel" scene.of "Scarce, half-awake. Do not talk to.me Emilia." And how she.lost.her.lord's love and doesn't know how to get it back. And Iago sits with his duped wife and is overflowing with warmth and comforting words to Desdemona of It will be all right. It's just.one of.his moods. You.haven't.lost Othello's love- while minutes away from.telling.Othello in secret, who asked for poison for her- Iago's words "Strangle her in her bed-.the.bed she has contaminated."
Once again, Yoland.....Thank You!
Mr. Domingo will always continue to amaze me whether he is singing or discussing a role. He doesn't just sing the notes, he becomes the character. Magic.
The greatest actor among the singers,the greatest singer among the actors...
Plácido Domingo gracias! Se nota que la música es para el! Felicitaciones por dar su hermosa música gracias gracias ♥️
❤❤❤❤ Domingo
I saw Domingo three times in the theater as Otello. Absolutely amazing, brilliantly sung, vividly portrayed. Yes, I also saw Vickers, who was even more intense but lacked Domingo’s opulent sound.
I saw his Otello twice in Vienna. It has been over 30 years, and I am yet to experience anything remotely similar to what he did in this role. I wish I were older (a strange thing to say for a woman), to have seen his performances of the 1970s.
Fascinating.
Kuriant Otelo vaidmenį daugiau galvojote apie charakterio kūrimą negu apie dainavimą.
Nors ne viską supratau,bet labai malonu stebėti Jūsų kalbėjimą,sekti Jūsų išraiškingą veidą,labai daug niuansų veide,akyse!❤
"No coward soul is mine," is how Emily Bronte started one of her poems, and regarding this posting and why I waited 4 days to write this Now- I've got a coward soul, Big Time! Verdi's Otello captured Shakespeare In The Music in a way the Bard was never captured before- not by Tchaikovsky ( Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet) nor Berlioz (Romeo and Juliet) nor Dvorak (Othello overture), nor Schubert. I deliberately avoided opera because holding a candle to Verdi in his chosen field doing Shakespeare-a poet this Italian thought the world of- is preposterous ( although Deems Taylor said in an essay he thought Wagner believed he was Shakespeare, Plato and Beethoven, rolled into one). And Verdi captured Shakespeare's Othello "In The Music." The aria Dio! mi potevi is my all time favorite, period- Verdi captured the bleak agony I see in King Lear- my favorite play AND work of Art- and musically I made Otello my favorite Italian Opera from the moment I first heard it. ( And you also know the the play Macbeth meant so much to me that I avoided Verdi's Macbeth for over 3 decades. When I saw the 2018 Berlin production you posted last year, I heard/saw it 3 times in a row- THAT was Macbeth in music, and I posted that I should have trusted Verdi. Now with this very personal half hour "talk" on Otello, I did something new totally out of respect for you- I read the Whole libretto of Boito, rather than selections given in video productions ( multiple ones of yours, plus Jon Vickers with Mirella Freni and Karajan- my Mario del Monoco CD has no attempt at English translations. I Really Did Not Want to do this, but I felt my comments would be lacking a full overview here unless I did. The result was whiplash. That libretto isn't Othello, and I am not being overly picky, either. The sung words to the opera is NOt Shakespeare's characters.
Maestro: I just this second finished your half-hour remarks on Otello. I am totally struck dumb. I am speechless, which is weird for those who know me. I will be posting again when I get back my equilibrium, but suffice it to say this this was your Golden Moment, at least for me. What!? Blasphemy!! What about his SINGING the role of Otello, or Cavaradossi, or Lohengrin? Well, egghead that I am- put that together with my being looney where Shakespeare is concerned: the result was this talk, I believe ( to quote Churchill) was your "Finest Hour."
Here comes a coward soul of Colleen-BignTime! Perhaps Boito should not be.put on the rack, because the characters of Othello- and especially Desdemona- as conceived by Shakespeare have been subject to a lack.of comprehension by critics- worse than any other of his characters. In the 500 years since it was written, this play has been coveted by actors wishing to play Iago rather than the Moor of Venice. A superficial reading makes Othello look like an ignorant dumbbell for falling for Iago's poison, while Desdemona has been described in words that make.me cringe by critics- who should know better. Our heroine is not a weakling nor is she a shallow reader of fiction romances who is infatuated by Othello's tales of adventure with no idea of what she's getting into- and some critics even figuratively smack their lips in relish that Desdemona gets what she deserves. This could not be farther than my opinion of her, with Desdemona the only name I Ever considered changing.my.own name to. Shakespeare's 4 great Tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth- only Othello is the one with a moving Love Story. Ophelia chooses her father over the Romantic man.in.her life ( practically.the.only sympathetic female lead role to do so-Loyalty.meant everything to Shakespeare); King Lear isn't a story.of Romantic love, nor is Macbeth- at least in the latter play it isn't emphasized, while Professor Bloom and others have called the Macbeths the happiest.marriage of the Bard's tragedies. Cleopatra is quite.passionate about Antony and visa-versa, but the emphasis of that.play is.politcs. Which leaves Romeo and Juliet, possibly.Shakespeare's most popular.play. Juliet is totally sympathetic to me ( as is Romeo), especially her.lines.on.the balcony about if Romeo's purpose is honorable- marriage- then set the time "And all.my.fortunes at thy feet I lay, and follow thee, my Lord, throughout the world." And she means it. But Othello is about an adult marriage and I believe, true love. And I know I'm in a minority saying this. Desdemona, as you say, is crazy about Othello. She disobeyed.her father-a Big thing in Renaissance Italy. She tells the senators "I saw Othello's visage in his mind"-so obviously she didn't marry for good looks. She tells the whole Senate in from.of everyone that she wants to go to Cyprus for the rights she married him- meaning flat-out, she want the carnal side of Love. In the.play she is quite playful and almost naughty in her banter with Iago and Emilia while waiting for her husband to land in Cyprus. In the PLAY, Othello's first greeting " My Fair Warrior" to which Desdemona replies "My dear Othello." Rather than being stupidly.obtuse about Cassio, in the PLAY she is quite playful, eliciting Othello's "Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee. And when love thee not, chaos is come again." It is beyond.her thinking in the scene her husband treats her like a whore in.a brothel because.of exactly the words Othello uses. When he strikes her in front of the embassy from Venice, she responds aloud "I have not deserved this." And possibly the ultimate lines of Love "Commend me to.my kind Lord" meaning her husband- a lie on her deathbed- VERY serious for what the Church teaches of Salvation- to.protect.Othello, who she believes has been deceived and only murders her because of belief in a lie. And of course, I HATE the lines changed in.the Zeffirelli film "Commend me to the lord"- meaning God -is a travesty of Shakespeare.
A book I cherish "A Few Words About Shakespeare's.plays" by a 18th Century Swiss goatherd named Ulrich Beaker cannot be matched in some of.his.opinions. He writes the.memorable.linen "If we.have.Iago, then.we don't need Satan."--This, paired with Coleridge's "The motive- hunting.of.motiveless.malingnoty." Shakespeae.made.Iago truly a stand- in for Satan. All the evil of the play is concentrated in.this.one character- who.ALL the characters trust as an angel.of.light, from Othello, Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia, Rodrigo- with so.many calling.him."Honest Iago" that Iago makes an evil joke of it in a private soliloquy, calling.himself to.himself "Honest Iago"- with a wicked sneer. As Swiss goatherd Braker says " He.proceeds to break .the necks.of.nearly.every.one.of.them." Braker also calls.it Shakespeare's "cruellest play" that Shakespeare stuck at the end to keep readers who experienced it from turning from him with sick stomachs. If Othello.killed.in a rage, it would have been less painful.to Brake than the calm, deliberate manner.he.approached.it. In his
last soliloquy about his "journey's end" he speaks so well after his hysteria following his murder that.my hubby said, while viewing the.play for the first time "Well, he got his nobility back Fast." From Othello's mighty power and strength in his first scene "Put up.yout.bright.swords, or the dew will rust.them" and "Were it my.cue to fight, I would know.it without a.prompter.".( Totally.fearless);.to.his.initial dialogue with deceiver Iago: For she had eyes, and chose.me." I agree with your statement that true.love existed between Othello and Desdemona AND that he thought of himself as Catholic. To.your statement of."He (.Othello).believes he will see her again on.the.other side" I am.wondering.if that.is.overly optimistic. When the truth is out, at the end, Othello speaks to a pinioned Iago of Why did he destroy.my soul? And looking at the corpse of his wife "Cold,.my.girl? Even as thy.chastity."And that this scene will send Desdemona's soul to heaven, while "fiends ( demons) are snatching at his." I don't know if the play's Othello believes he will escape Hellfire, but he cannot live with what he's just done.
PS: Othello in not a stupid dupe.to fall for Iago's deceit. Shakespeare created this scene so skillfully, with the Ensign so totally evil in.a.deliberate.non-chalant manner-poisoning.Othello's mind in a realistic, believable way to.as such keep sympathy with Othello ( at.lesst those who.read the.footnotes) as, man or woman reading it-.wonders.if.he/she would fall for such.clever, manipulative evil,.listening to an Iago in their own.lives?
PPS: With a bewildered, heartbroken Desdemona after the "brothel" scene.of "Scarce, half-awake. Do not talk to.me Emilia." And how she.lost.her.lord's love and doesn't know how to get it back. And Iago sits with his duped wife and is overflowing with warmth and comforting words to Desdemona of It will be all right. It's just.one of.his moods. You.haven't.lost Othello's love- while minutes away from.telling.Othello in secret, who asked for poison for her- Iago's words "Strangle her in her bed-.the.bed she has contaminated."