Otello soars, but too few hear his song

Martin Ball
15aug 05

[.....] Nothing can replace the impact of the fully staged production, of course, but in the all-important music stakes, this was the best opera performance heard in Melbourne for some time.

The cast, led by three internationals singers, were sublime.

Otello is an opera all about character, and even without the help of mise en scene and physical action, the singers created a sense of dramatic intensity on stage.

In the title role, Italian tenor Antonello Palombi sang with wonderful ease, never straining but always ready with the spinto, or push, needed to create a peak of intensity. Palombi displayed all the hallmarks of Otello; proud, gullible, and ultimately pathetic as he cries at the end: "Has heaven no more thunderbolts?"

Otello is an artistic triumph; the pity is it has been a box-office flop. Selling a non-subscription event without a known lead is difficult, but one wonders where were all the whingers, who complain about their lack of good opera. It's on again tonight folks. Close your eyes and you're at La Scala.