The “final stretch” in the CDs in the Lorin Maazel: The Complete Warner Edition involves complete opera recordings. Three operas are included in the collection, each by a different composer. The first of these presents the composer that is probably most associated with opera: Giuseppe Verdi. The opera selected from his prodigious repertoire is Otello.
The source for the two CDs that account for this opera is the soundtrack of a film of the performance directed by Franco Zeffirelli, which seems to have taken place at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. What strikes me as interesting is that the recording itself was made at the Milan Conservatory, also known as the Conservatorio di Milano and the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi. Recording took place in the summer of 1985; and, as a result, many are likely to view the vocalists in terms of a “bygone era.”
From my own point of view, however, those vocalists are decidedly memorable! The title role was sung by Plácido Domingo with soprano Katia Ricciarelli as his Desdemona. Iago closes the triangle of the narrative, so to speak; and he is sung by baritone Justino Diaz. Personally, however, I particularly enjoyed the way the narrative is advanced through “choral reinforcement;” and, as might be expected, the Teatro alla Scala has its own resident chorus.
Some readers may guess that this is not my favorite opera! That said, other readers may recall how I relished a Merola Opera Program performance by the second act of Otello. As “performers in training,” the Merolini delivered an edge-of-your-seat staging. Sadly, Maazel’s approach to this opera never got me close to the edge of my seat!
Album cover of the recording of Otello available through Presto Classical Limited
Those more interested in Maazel’s approach to the music may benefit through a Presto Classical Limited Web page, which provides a download of the audio but without a digital booklet (consistent with the fact that no librettos are provided in the Warner release).
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