http://www.starksilvercreek.com/2009/11/sf-operas-otello-the-san-francisco-chronicle-joshua-kosman-got-it-wrong.html West coast living. In wine country. SF Bay Area Theater and Arts. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:07:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.starksilvercreek.com/2009/11/sf-operas-otello-the-san-francisco-chronicle-joshua-kosman-got-it-wrong.html#comment-16242 Martha Birnbaum Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:16:38 +0000 http://www.starksilvercreek.com/?p=23906#comment-16242 Couldn't agree with you more! Heard Otello last night. Dismayed by vocal expressiveness of Iago--voice far to light to convey the bitterness of the demanding score, particularly in his lower range. Botha a wonder--I finally understood why Verdi chose to make the part of Otello a tenor. Desdie--well maybe I'm giving away my age, but I longed for a more bel canto sound. Interestingly, I found that she came through with the tone I was looking for in the Willow/Ave Maria. I surmised that she had studied this in conservatory before her voice moved into the spinto sound. Her pitch problems, I presume, had much more to do with the over-singing involved in the spinto sound that dominated all her ensemble work. But, most of all, I was disappointed with Iago--underacted, undersung and lacking in the carnal evil that the role requires. BTW I am a conservatory trained mezzo--so I know a little of what I speak. Couldn't agree with you more! Heard Otello last night. Dismayed by vocal expressiveness of Iago–voice far to light to convey the bitterness of the demanding score, particularly in his lower range. Botha a wonder–I finally understood why Verdi chose to make the part of Otello a tenor. Desdie–well maybe I'm giving away my age, but I longed for a more bel canto sound. Interestingly, I found that she came through with the tone I was looking for in the Willow/Ave Maria. I surmised that she had studied this in conservatory before her voice moved into the spinto sound. Her pitch problems, I presume, had much more to do with the over-singing involved in the spinto sound that dominated all her ensemble work. But, most of all, I was disappointed with Iago–underacted, undersung and lacking in the carnal evil that the role requires. BTW I am a conservatory trained mezzo–so I know a little of what I speak.

]]>