Otello at Theater an der Wien

Rossini wrote Otello in 1816 on behalf of the royal theater in Naples between the Il barbiere di Siviglia and La Cenerentola. If one expects a literal Shakespearean setting, you will however be disappointed as Lord Byron, who in 1818 a performance saw in Venice and was outraged: "You have defaced Othello into an opera." Rossini's time were Shakespeare's plays on the continent almost entirely in known machined, sometimes completely disfiguring versions. But if we consider Rossini's opera as artistic standalone version of Othello-substance, one can see and understand the resounding success that had the opera in the 19th century, their extraordinary qualities. Especially in the haunting soul portraits of figures and with the third act, in which the emotional explosion accompanied by a thunderstorm, the outbreak of the forces of nature takes, Rossini breaks the hitherto usual number structure, here you will find - as the Rossini specialist Philip Gossett says - "the watershed between the Opera of the 18th and 19th centuries".

Otello, a black Africans, is in the service of Venice. For the Republic he has victoriously won a battle in Cyprus and now returns in triumph to Venice. Secretly he is engaged to Desdemona, the daughter of the noble Venetian Elmiro. Even the son of the Doge, Rodrigo, desires Desdemona. Both Elmiro as Rodrigo hate the stranger, successful immigrants Otello, therefore Elmiro would connect his daughter with Rodrigo very welcome. For some time, however, he observed worried a growing closeness between Desdemona and Otello. The marriage with Rodrigo is therefore convened immediately. As surprising Otello appear at the ceremony, the hesitant Desdemona finally refused her consent against Rodrigo. It is obvious that Desdemona is connected to Otello. Using the scheming Iago rich now want to bring apart Rodrigo Desdemona and Otello. Jago knows Otello's morbid jealousy and staged an intrigue by means of a letter. Otello believes that Desdemona loves but Rodrigo and stabbed them. As the plot is uncovered, Otello kills himself ruefully.