sommerfest '87,show case, magazine of the minnesota

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SHOWCASEMagazine of the Minnesota Orchestra

and Orchestra HallVolume XIX, No. 11

July 15 to August 8, 1987

Jft~aSHOWCASEMagazine of the Minnesota Orchestra and Orchestra HallVolume XIX, No. 11 July 15to August 8, 1987

MINNESOTA ORCHESTRAMinneapolis Symphony Orchestra

founded in 1903

Contents2 Notes from the Editor: Thoughts on Romanticism6 Generallnformation8 Acknowledgements

10 Orchestra News12 WAMSOat Sommerfest14 Meet the Sommerfest Artists38 Sommerfest Calendar of Events

Festival Concerts29 Vienna and the Romantic Tradition-July 15,17,1931 Three Early Romantics-July 1633 Ensemble Evening I: Musical Pairs-July 1734 Romeo and Juliet-July 1841 Ethnic Dance Theatre-July 2042 Vienna Fantasy-July 21,2443 The Devil Made Me Do It-July 2344 Ensemble Evening II: Grand Piano Extravaganza-July 2449 Romantic Concertos-July 2555 In Recital: Emanuel Ax-July 2656 The Mozart Piano Concerto: A Keyboard Conversation

with Orchestra -July 2857 Viennese Ballroom-July 29,3158 Mozart and Beethoven-July 3059 Ensemble Evening III: Serenade and Song-July 3160 From Bach to Brahms-August 164 In Recital: Oliveira and Siegei-August 265 WAMSO Presents: David Buechner in Recital-August 466 The Waltz King-August 5,767 Heroic Beethoven-August 668 Ensemble Evening IV: Schubertiade-August 769 Festival Finale: Otello-August 8

About the CoverCapturing the animation and tempo of Sommerfest, which is rooted in Vienna, and evokingthe elegance of the age of romanticism, the Festival issue features a painting based on thefaryious operetta by Johann Strauss, Jr.: Gifford Beal, Polka from "Die Fledermaus."Undated, oil on plywood panel 193/4"x23W' (50.1 em. x 60.6 em.), The Phillips Collection,Washington, D.C. The Minnesota Orchestral Association is grateful to The PhillipsCollection for its kind permission to reproduce this illustrative work by the New York-bornartist, who painted both costume pieces and the teeming life of Manhattan's tenementstreets.

The Minnesota Orchestral Association is the recipient of an operating subsidy grant fromthe Minnesota State Arts Board, with funds appropriated by the Minnesota StateLegislature.Showcase is published monthly by the Minnesota Orchestral Association, Orchestra Hall,1111Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403. © 1987.Editor, Annotator and Music Advisor: Mary Ann FeldmanEditorial Assistant: Nancy SellsArt Director: Julie BuchschacherAdvertising Sales: Frank McCormick .Publisher: MSP Publications, Inc., 12 S. 6th St., Suite 1030, Minneapolis, MN, 55402;339-7571

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SHOWCASE SOMMERFEST 1987 1

under Rafael Kubelik, and the Cleveland Or-chestra under Christoph von Dohnanyi.

Arnold VoketaitisLodovicoBass-baritone Arnold Voketaitis, one of themost versatile singers on both the opera andconcert stage, last appeared with the Min-

nesota Orchestra atSommerfest '85 in Puc-cini's Turandot. Hismany prior MinnesotaOrchestra performancesinclude Shostakovich'sSymphony No. 13 (Babifur) in 1980. Veteran ofsome 60 productions of

The Barber of Seville, in which he made hisEuropean debut as Don Basilio, Voketaitishas won acclaim for a variety of unusualroles, including his performance in Rimsky-Korsakov's opera Mozart and Salieri at theAspen Festival. He is a noted Mephistophe-les - in both the Gounod and Boito versionsof the Faust legend - and a widely admiredinterpreter of contemporary works.

Arthur Rudolph-LaRueHeraldArthur Rudolph-LaRue is a native ofOregon, where he sings in the Oregon BachFestival under the direction of Helmuth Rill-

ing. An active soloist,he was most recentlyheard in Haydn's Crea-tion at Northrop Audi-torium. A former mem-ber of the PortlandOpera Chorus, Ru-dolph-LaRue is amember of The Dale

Warland Singers and also performs withCantate di Camera.

Dale WarlandSymphonic ChorusDale Warland, DirectorSigrid Johnson, Assistant

ConductorFor three consecutive summers the Dale

.. Warland Symphonic Chorus has beenfeatured at the Sommerfest finale: first, in

the 1985 Turandot, lastyear in Fidelia, and nowin the concert perform-ance of Otello. On thisoccasion, the Symphon-ic Chorus has been pre-pared under the di-rection of assistant con-ductor Sigrid Johnson.

Other Chorus collaborations with the Or-chestra include performances of Beethoven'sNinth Symphony under Sir Neville Mar-riner. At the core ofthe Symphonic Chorus

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Otello Choruses Sommerfest Artists

are members of The Dale Warland Singers,a professional ensemble founded in 1972andbased in the Twin Cities, that performs andhas recorded an exceptional repertoire ofchoral music.SopranoJean E. AndersonMary Kay BauerDoris BergetHeather DickMamie L.

GaasedelenCarolyn

GemberlingKathy HeringMelinda

Hudson-OrianiSigrid JohnsonJoni Kelly-BennettDeborah 1. LoonChristine Bownik

MeyerMiriam Walker

MingerJennifer A. MoultonBarbara NelsonSolveig K. NelsonMary PattonChristi RicciLea Anna

Sams- McGowanSandra A.

SchoeneckerMarie SparRuth SpiegelMary Elizabeth

Warme-MalbergJennifer WelchMargaret WestinRuth WoodAltoCoralie AllenSusan BarnesMarg BringewattHarriet CollopyTeresa EclovRuth GaylordDebra HarrerMartha HopemanBarbara HuestisJulie D. KahnRamona KaszasJanet LechmanMichaela MahadyMary Maiden

MuellerCarolyn M. MalishMarilyn MillerWendy Holmes

NelsonHolly Sue OlsonKaren Welle

PhillipsJoan Quam-

MacKenziePat Hardy RileyKay Sandeen

Gail SchumacherCarrie StevensRica Jane VanDenise WahlinRuth WarlandMary Bell WolffClaudia ZylstraTenorJim AndrewsRuss BurschBob CollopyKenneth DenzerMichael DirksJames EmeryJames FiskumPhilip FryerPaul William

GerikeDavid HendersonJeffrey M. JonesRobert KnudtsonGary A.

KortemeierP. Robert Maiden

MuellerLee MaukDavid MeissnerMichael MillerSteve SchonebaumBruce SilverSteve WagnerBassDavid BensonLeif BergetMark BlivenRobert CroffordWayne DaltonGordon DoeringLloyd HjelleSteven HodulikJeff HusetTimothy KowalikFredrick LokkenMark MenkeRobert 1. MillerTom MurphyCharles NolopDouglas E.

RasmusonChuck RisserMartin R.

RosenbaumJerry RubinoArthur

Rudolph-LaRueJohn D.

SchonebaumPaul A. TheisenDouglas ToavsDouglas

VanderPloegMark WherryDavid Zylstra

22 SHOWCASE SOMMERFEST 1987

Children's Festival ChorusJanice Kimes;"DirectorThe young singers in the Festival Chorus aredrawn from two Twin Cities choirs, the BelCanto Voices and the Metropolitan Boys

Choir. In 1985, the BelCanto Voices, led bydirector Janice Kimes,sang at Kennedy Centerat the invitation of theSurgeon General.Following that, theytoured the SouthPacific, celebrating their

tenth anniversary year by singing to au-diences in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji andHawaii. They have sung at festivals in Brit-ain and Canada, produced six television

. specials and recorded on the Pro Arte label.The Metropolitan Boys Choir, founded byits director, Bea Hasselmann, recentlyreturned from a tour of England and Wales.Their frequent appearances abroad, in-cluding Germany in 1981 and Norway threeyears later, have earned for them the titleof "Minnesota's Young Ambassadors ofSong."

Ensemble director Janice Kimes,founder/director of the Bel Canto Voices anda member of the artistic staff of the Min-nesota Opera, is a performer as well aseducator. She made her international sing-ing debut in 1983 as guest artist with therenowned Rhos Male Voice Choir in GreatBritain. Well known as a coach/accompanist,she has been choral ensemble director forthe Minnesota Opera and the NorthstarOpera.

Bel Canto VoicesJulie BrekkenLei BryantAmy CadwellLindsey HitchcockKatie HostnickBeth IsenhartHeidi JohnsonAlison JonesMegan KellyMolly KellyJevne LindemanEmily LynchSusan McKinnellTiffany MullerKatharine MunnichSarah OhmannLarissa PreshoDanielle RinquetteKristi RootDana SchererMichelle SeegerSusan SpanovichJulie SwensonJody SzarzinskiEllyn Young

MetropolitanBoys ChoirEric BelkengrenPhilip BerglinJeffrey BirdsallMischa BoehrRyan BrodinJeffrey CookCraig DischingerEddie DziedzicKris ErdmannKaare FestvogNathan FlansburgJohn FreemoreTanabe GatlinErik HansonAaron JohnsonMark JohnsonMatthew JohnsonDaniel JuarezAndrew LucasTimothy OlsonTony OlsonTrevor PloegerChan-Ho RheeJarrod WielandMark WilliamsJeffrey Winkler

Stanley AtkinsCellist Stanley Atkins, who was a memberof the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra andthe New Orleans Philharmonic before join-

ing the Minnesota Or-chestra in 1962, attend-ed the Peabody Conser-vatory in Baltimore andthe Juilliard School inNew York, studyingwith Avron Twerdow-sky, Luigi Silva; Wil-liam Kroll and Lillian

Fuchs. The special events in which he hasparticipated include a performance of theTchaikovsky Rococo Variations with the NewHampshire Music Festival and an ap-pearance at New York's Town Hall with theRosen Quartet.

Kendall BettsSince joining the Minnesota Orchestra asprincipal horn player in 1980, Kendall Bettshas made nine appearances as soloist with

the orchestra, perform-ing concertos of Mo-zart, Telemann, Haydn,Britten, Thommessenand Koper. A graduateof the Curtis Institute ofMusic and the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania, heparticipated in several

Marlboro Music Festivals. After a five-yearengagement with the Philadelphia Orchestra,he freelanced in New York, Philadelphia andLos Angeles, serving as principal horn playerfor major ballet and opera companies as wellas such orchestras as the New YorkPhilharmonic.

Taichi ChenTaiwan native Taichi Chen, violin, joinedthe Minnesota Orchestra in October 1985,shortly after completing bachelor's and

master's degrees atNorthern Illinois Uni-versity. While there hewas concertmaster withboth the Northern Il-linois Philharmonic andthe Illinois ChamberOrchestra; earlier,while studying at Toho

Music School in Tokyo and, for three years,at Boston University, he had held the samepost with those institutions' orchestras. Histeachers have included Schmuel Ashkenasi,Arnold Steinhardt, Masao Kawasaki, RomanTotenberg and Namiko Umezu.

MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA SOMMERFESTLEONARD SLATKIN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

FESTIVAL CONCERT NO. 21SOMMER FEST 'ff7 is presented by the Minnesota Orchestral Association andWCCO Television ~

and sponsored by the Coleman/Fannie May Candies Foundation.

Saturday, August 8, 19ff78:00 p.m.

Orchestra Hall

FESTIVAL FINALE:OTELLOLeonard Slatkin conducting

VERDIOtello (complete concert performance)

Otello JAMES Mc;.CRACKEN, tenorIago JUSTINO DIAZ, bass-baritoneDesdemona ELIZABETH HOLLEQUE, sopranoEmilia ROBYNNE REDMON, mezzo-sopranoCassio MICHAEL MYERS, tenorMontano STEFAN SZKAFAROWSKY, bassRoderigo RICHARD BRUNNER, tenorLodovico ' ARNOLD VOKETAITIS, bassHerald ARTHUR RUDOLPH-LaRUE, bass

THE DALE WARLAND SYMPHONIC CHORUSDale Warland, DirectorSigrid Johnson, Assistant Conductor

CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL CHORUSJanice Kimes, Director

Pamela Bullock, Repetiteur

Profiles of the Otello artists appear on pages 20-22.

Performance time, including intermission, is approximately three hours.

The 8 p.m. concert is broadcast live throughout the region on Minnesota PublicRadio stations, including KSJN-FM (91.1) in the Twin Cities.

Additional underwriting assistance provided by Northland Development Company


l1:?rdi(Portrait in oils by Giovanni Baldini,1886)

Act I, from the premiere ofOtello at LaScala

l1:?rdiwith Victor Maurel, the first Iago, inthe dressing room before the Parispremiere ofOtello

Program Notesby Mary Ann Feldman

OtelloLyric drama in four actsLibretto by Arrigo Boito

By Giuseppe Verdi

Born October 10, 1813, Le Roncole, nearBusseto; died January Tl, 1901, Milan

Instrumentation: piccolo, 3 flutes, 2 oboes,English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet,4 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 cornets, 2 trumpets,4 trombones, timpani, 2 bass drums, cym-bals, tam-tam, mandolin, guitar, harp, organand strings; additional offstage brass ensem-ble; 9 vocal soloists, mixed chorus andchildren's choir

lOu alone can set Othello to music-all the dramatic creations you havegiven us proclaim this truth. If I havebeen able to divine the inherent pow-erful musicality of the Shakespeariantragedy, which at first I did not feel... that is because I put myself at theviewpoint of J--erdianart, because Ifeltin writing those verses what youwould feel in representing them in thatother language, a thousand timesmore intimate and strong, the lan-guage of sound ....- Boito to Verdi

A confluence of genius - Shakespeare, Ver-di and Boito, the latter an opera composeras well as a poet - resulted in the supremelyromantic Italian opera, Otello. To many, thelanguage of music not only illuminates thetragedy but exalts it.. When Verdi uses therich resonances and subtle hues of the or-chestra to evoke the starlit night in whichhusband and wife renew their love, and whenhe exploits the full resources of music toreveal the psychological undercurrents of theplay, few would deny the princely power ofsound. Compared with music, Berlioz re-minds us, mere words are a pauper.

Fifteen years separate Aida and thepremiere of Otello, which took place at LaScala, Milan, in 1887. The mighty Requiemwas the closest Verdi came to writing anopera in the long interval between, but evenhere there was a thirteen-year gap. Thepublic had nearly abandoned hope that thenation's hero, revered both as a symbol ofthe Risorgimento and as a great composer,would ever put his hand to the stage again.Verdi seemed content with his diverse proj-ects, including a hospital, and agrarian pur-suits, some of which are noted as early ex-periments in modern agricultural technology.Then, in 1879,a conspiracy of friends beganto stir the artist from his apparent retirement.

It all began one June night in a hotel din-ing room in Milan. Verdi had journeyed fromthe country to conduct a benefit performanceof his Requiem for the victims of recentfloods. His publisher, Giulio Ricordi, turned

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the conversation toward the subject ofShakespeare and addressed Boito, the com-poser of a controversial opera, Mefistophele,which had finally succeeded in an 1875revi-sion. For years, King Lear had moulderedon Verdi's bookshelf. Nothing would evercome of it. But now, at the mention ofOthello (the proper English spelling of theplay, as opposed to the Italian Otella), "I sawVerdi fix his eyes on me, with suspicion, butwith interest;' Ricordi has written. "He hadcertainly understood; he had certainlyreacted. I believed the time was ripe."

Three days later, Franco Faccio, destinedto be the first Otello conductor, took hisfriend Boito to see Verdi. When the poetmentioned a scenario he had made from'theShakespeare play, Verdi agreed to look itover. He liked what he read, but he wascagey. Without committing himself in anyway he encouraged Boito to undertake acomplete libretto. The poet promptlydropped everything and set to work.

A few months later, in September of thatyear, Ricordi addressed a letter to Verdi athis villa, Sant'Agata, expressing his desireto visit "with a friend''- Boito, of course. ButVerdi erected a barrier of reserve, replyingthat "A visit from him would commit me toomuch;' and recalling how inadvertently this"chocolate project;' as they would ever afterrefer to the tale of the Moor, had come intobeing. He worried that if he approved ofBoito's libretto, even with modifications, hewould be getting himself deeper into theproject. Nevertheless, he agreed to examinethe completed poem in private, if it weresent to him by post. This was already an ad-mission of strong interest, and neither anabscessed tooth nor other bouts of illnesskept Boito from finishing the librettoposthaste. On November 18,Verdi addressedRicordi: "I have just received the chocolate."That it made a strong impression was con-firmed in a letter by his wife Giuseppina.But, she reported, he put it on the shelfalongside Somma's libretto for King Lear."What will become of this Otelldt" shemused. "No one knows. I would like Verdito be able to let it sleep like Lear for anotherthirty years and then find sufficient strengthand courage to set it to music, to his ownglory and the glory of art."

Years did pass-not 30, but only five-before Verdi set about the task of compos-ing Otello, one of the two greatShakespearian operas that were the culmina-tion of his career. The correspondence be-tween Verdi and Boito forms a lively andproductive exchange between collaborators,in which the composer is clear about his ownthinking. The characters were scrutinized,and certain notions were abandoned, yet thecomposer did not dominate Boito as he hadcertain of his earlier librettists. The respectbetween them was profound, for the relation-ship was tested along the way by an interimcollaboration on the revision of Verdi's SimonBoccanegra. After that, in 1881, Verdi madeup his mind for good, and the friendshipgrew ever more cordial as an Otello forMilan began to materialize.

Yet more time passed, however, sometimeswith big gaps between their conversations.Finally, early in 1884, and at the age of 70,Verdi began to compose Ofelia. It evolvedin spurts of activity that winter, and all alonginto 1885; the final bout of creativity con-sumed the early autumn of that year. In themeantime, its course almost ran agroundwhen a misquoting of Boito in the press ledVerdi to think that he might prefer to writethe opera himself. Verdi promptly offered toreturn the libretto, whereupon the distraughtpoet had to persuade him to continue: "... youalone can set Ofelia to music:'THE PREMIERE

The orchestration, along with certain re-visions, consumed yet another year, on andoff, but by the winter of 1887 Ofelia wasready. Verdi himself supervised the rehear-sals, reserving the right to cancel the pro-duction if things did not go well, and, as washis custom, insisting upon privacy for thepreparations. At dawn. on February 5, 1887,all Milan hummed with excitement. In thesame year, Blanche' Roosevelt, a youngAmerican singer then studying in Milan,published a book, Verdi: Milan and Ofelia(dedicated to the novelist Wilkie Collins),which yields a vivid account of the premiere:

''As early as 5 a.m. everyone was astir,"she wrote, and before noon, the streets wereso jammed with people that had not theblocks of houses divided them, "everythingwould have been run together like honey,with human beings, human beings, humanbeings!" That night, the cries of "Viva Ver-di!" in the Piazza della Scala "were so deaf-ening that I longed for cotton in my ears."An hour before the curtain went up everyseat in the house was filled: "The light mur-mur of expectant voices issuing from threethousand throats, audible, but discreetly in-distinct, reminded me of the sounds in anenchanted forest on a summer night ....From pit to dome, the immense auditoriumwas one mass of eager faces, sparkling eyes,brilliant toilettes, and splendid jewels:'

No one was to be disappointed, except forcertain weaknesses in the cast. Only the Iago,the Frenchman Victor Maurel, was both aconsummate actor and singer. The tenorTamagno, Miss Roosevelt reported, "lookedand acted Othello, but he did not sing - heonly bleated." The costumes, scenery,choruses and orchestra, however, were allbut perfect, and when the final curtain camedown, the ovations for Verdi and Boitosurged almost without end. Verdi was calledout twenty times; his last appearance wasgreeted by a sea of waving hats and hand-kerchiefs. "The emotion was something in-describable, and many wept." At five the nextmorning the crowds were still singing andcalling out, "Viva Verdi!"

"Who shall say this cry shall not echo allover the world?" the American woman con-cluded. ''At 74 this second conqueror maywell exclaim: Veni, vidi, vici, Verdi!'THE CONTENT

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but a masterpiece. Verdi's confidence inBoito was well-placed: the poet compressedthe fifteen scenes of Shakespeare's five-actplay into four uninterrupted acts, eachepisode in the mounting tragedy followingclosely in time upon its predecessor, therebyheightening the dramatic thrust. Though heretained certain lines from Act I, Boitojudiciously dispensed with the opening sceneat the Venetian Senate, so that everythingtakes place on the island of Cyprus. Aboveall, his rendering of Shakespeare's eloquentlanguage into singable Italian verse preservesthe essential meaning and emotion of eachthought without tracing the original line byline. The condensation of the scenes, so thatthere is time for the lyric expansion that isthe essence of opera, and the compressionof the language, is an extraordinary feat. Ver-di never had a better librettist than this. Andin his expansion of the original Credo thatShakespeare devised as the focal point forIago, Boito provided the composer with anopportunity to write passionate music thateven transcends the violence of Iago's wordsin the drama.

Though there are set numbers, such as avictory chorus and a drinking song, Verdi'sOtello avoids the stop and go pattern of tradi-tional recitative and aria. The result is adrama pegged upon continuous music, itslyricism swelling naturally out of thedramatic emotions. There is no formal over-ture or preamble: the opera starts, Allegroagitato, with one of the most raging storms

in all orchestral literature, and before longthe excited voices of the chorus echo in themidst of the tempest. Even if you know yourShakespeare, it is the better part of wisdomto prepare for this opera by reading its con-summate libretto, Lacking that, the synop-sis that follows will guide you through theevent. In any case, Verdi's art-whether inthe sensuously beautiful love scene, the AveMaria, or the terror of the chamber in whichDesdemona is killed-is so vivid that youare not apt to miss the benefit of spectaclein this concert performance. At every turnof events, Verdi's magnificent orchestrationis there to color the scene and interpret thescript. To cite only one example, attend tothe slow harp arpeggios and high, softstrings, with flute and English horn, asOtello and Desdemona observe the descentof the glowing Pleiades into the sea. Thepassage rises to a glistening chord overwhich they sustain the final note of their loveduet. Finally, a quartet of solo cellos,beneath a sweet violin trill, brings the sceneto a close, as if following them into the silentpeace of their chamber. Not the most elab-orate scenic designs of the playhouse, en-hanced by a modern lighting board, canaspire to create the atmosphere into whichVerdi's orchestration draws us.

Never pass up an opportunity to heara good opera.- Robert Schumann

SYNOPSISACT 1. As a tempest rages in the harbor ofCyprus, citizens await the return of theirgovernor, Otello, a Moorish general in theVenetian army. When his ship is sighted, theCypriots call on heaven to spare it. Safely inport, Otello stops on the ramparts to proclaimvictory over the Turks ("Esultate!") and thenenters his castle. His ensign Iago, angeredbecause a rival, Cassio, has been promotedto captain, plots his own advancement by fan-ning the secret desires of Roderigo for Otello'swife, Desdemona. Meanwhile, the Cypriotsgather around a bonfire. Iago, leading a drink-ing song (brindisi: "Inaffia l'ugola"), forcesthe easily intoxicated Cassio to drink a toastto Otello and his bride; the ensign next pro-,vokes Roderigo to duel with the reelingCassio. Otello's predecessor, Montano, triesto intervene but is wounded by Cassio. Sud-denly Otello, awakened by the brawl, stormsout to demand ali explanation; Iago pretendsignorance. As Desdemona joins her husband,he demotes Cassio, instructing Iago to restoreorder. Otello and Desdemona, left alone inthe moonlight, tenderly recall their courtship("Gia nella notte densa"), and they kiss threetimes.

ACT II. By the castle garden, Iago advisesCassio to seek Desdemona's aid in regainingOtello's favor. Cassio goes off, leaving Iagoto describe his view of his creator, a crueldemon who gives him ideas for his evil mach-inations ("Credo"). On Otello's arrival, the en-

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sign makes innuendos about Desdemona'sfidelity as they spy her in the garden withEmilia (lagos wife) and Cassio; he warns theMoor to beware of jealousy. Women, childrenand sailors bring flowers to Desdemona,whose beauty softens Otello's suspicions, butwhen she approaches him about Cassio'sreinstatement he grows irritable. Fearing heis ill, she tries to soothe his brow with a hand-kerchief, which he throws to the ground. Des-demona, confused, pleads her devotion,while Iago wrenches the handkerchief fromEmilia, who has retrieved it. When thewomen leave, Otello accuses his ensign ofdestroying his peace of mind. Iago answersthe Moor's demands for proof by pretendinghe has heard Cassio murmur Desdemona'sname in his sleep ("Era la notre"); even worse,he says he saw in Cassios hand the strawberry-embroidered handkerchief Otello gave herwhen he first courted her. Seconded by Iago,Otello vows vengeance on his wife ("Sl, pelciel").ACf III. In the armory, Iago tells Otello thatmore proof is forthcoming and then departsas Desdemona greets her husband ("Dio tigiocondi"), The Moor hints at his suspicions,but she fails to understand; when he demandsthe handkerchief he once gave her, she againpleads for Cassio, driving Otello to call hera courtesan. Though Desdemona, in tears,swears her innocence, the Moor sends heraway. Spent with rage, he pours out his misery("Dio mi potevi scagliar"), then hides at theapproach of Cassio and Iago. The ensign,flashing the handkerchief he stole, manipu-lates Cassio's banter about his mistress, Bian-ca, so that Otello thinks they mean Desde-mona. Cassio leaves as trumpets announcedignitaries from Venice. Otello swears to killhis wife.

In the great hall of the castle, the courtenters to welcome Lodovico, the ambassador,who presents papers recalling Otello to Veniceand naming Cassio governor. When Cassiosteps forward, Otello loses self-control and,cursing Desdemona, hurls her to the floor.She begs forgiveness for her supposed crime.The courtiers try to console her, but Otelloorders them all out. As the Moor falls un-conscious in a fit, Iago mockingly salutes the"Lion of Venice."ACf IV. In her room, as Emilia helps herprepare for bed, Desdemona sings a songabout a maiden, Barbara, who was forsakenby her lover (willow song: "Salce, salce").Startled by the wind, she bids her companiongood night, says her prayers ("AveMaria") andretires. Otello soon steals in and tenderlykisses her. When she awakens, he tells her toprepare for death; though she protests her in-nocence, 'he strangles her. Suddenly Emiliaknocks with news that Cassio has slainRoderigo. Hearing Desdemona's death moan,she cries for help, bringing Iago, Lodovicoand Cassio. When Emilia tells of Iago'streachery, the villain rushes out ofthe room,first stabbing his wife. Otello, realizing he hasbeen deceived ("Niun mi tema") , stabs himselfand dies upon a kiss.

-Synopsis courtesy of Opera News

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