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What our customer's say!

"Excelent DVD", Verdi - Otello / Domingo, Fleming, Morris, Croft, Levine, Moshinsky, Metropolitan Opera
Outstanding video.
The acting and singing are very good and convincing.
Otello's troubled personality which goes from love to jealousy, anger and finally to murder and suicide is well performed by Placido Domingo.
Morris and Renne Fleming are of equally great, he has played a manipulative and evil character and the lovely Desdemona shows her love to Otello until the end.
Levine was great as usual.
The rest of the cast was wonderful as well as the staging.
The quality of the DVD is excellent.


"Almost perfect!", I really want to give this DVD 5 stars because of the jaw-dropping performance from Placido Domingo. It is easily the most powerful acting performance by a tenor I have ever seen in an opera. I also heartily disagree with reviewers criticizing his voice. If you want to hear a crappy Domingo performance, watch the Karjan Trovatore! He is sublime here. Equally so is Renee Fleming, so perfectly cast. The sets, orchestra, and chorus are stellar. There are only two things wrong here. One, is James Morris as Jago. He's a great bass, but he leaves off the top notes in "Inaffia l'ugola," which is hugely disappointing. By no means is he terrible, but his acting was minimal at best and he lacked the upper register of better Jago's like Leo Nucci. The other disappointment is that when Otello stabs himself, there is no blood. I know it's asking a LOT from an opera house to either show some blood or hide the wound, but here they do neither. It's a very distracting way to end the opera, if you ask me. But this DVD will be watched many times!

"It should have been called "Desdemona"", If there was anything to be replaced in this production, it would be Domingo. He is too old for the vocal demands of the role and never had the right voice for Othello, anyway. Otherwise, the performance is excellent and Renee Fleming's Desdemona can not be possibly bettered. I must admit not being a huge fan of this opera, with its moronic hero and bombastic musical writing, but do have a favorite performance, which is a Tokyo production with Del Monaco, Gobbi, and Erede conducting. So, sue me.

"Desdemona bella...", This is probably the best "Otello" on DVD. Placido Domingo has some moments in which his voice sounds forced, particularly in "Si, pel ciel", but on the whole, the production is excellent, with great, exciting conducting by James Levine, a very good and believable Iago in James Morris, and a really good Cassio and Emilia.
The true star of the production, however, is Renee Fleming, who is simply spectacular as Desdemona. She sings like an angel, with wonderful expression and some ravishing pianissimi. Definitely the best Desdemona I've ever heard.
The staging is very lush and the costumes gorgeous, but I really can't understand why the old Met production, which was beautiful, wasn't kept on for a few more years. I'm sure there are other Met productions far more in need of updating.

"Looks good, but doesn't work", I got this CD which didn't work. Received a replacment, which didn't work either. Is this a coincidence?

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Met's DVD Recording of Verdi's Otello Best Opera Recording Ever", The Metropolitan Opera's recording of Verdi's OTELLO not only is loaded with a first class, super star cast, but the filming, art direction, staging is equally balanced and one, if not THE best recordings ever. Domingo, Fleming, Morris and Croft under the superb direction of James Levine---well, who could ask for anything better---it does not exist. The dramatic camera work during the passionate, anguished scenes puts the beholder right in the midst of the tragedy. I have watched this DVD recording many times and always become totally immersed and moved by it.

"Review of Otello Opera Production on DVD", Verdi's music is powerful--his best opera in my opinion. Domingo is THE Otello. He sets the standard for all others who sing this role both in terms of musicianship and drama. I can say virtually the same for Fleming. The staging and musicianship are both outstanding.

"The cream of Domingo on DVD as Otello", I've seen three DVD's featuring Placido Domingo in the title role: 1992 (Covent Garden), 1995 (The Met), and 2001 (La Scala). They are all high quality and worth owning but, in my opinion, this Met production has the best Desdemona (Renee Fleming), the best Iago (James Morris), and a stunning performance by Placido Domingo.

Some comparisons. Domingo's voice is clearest and most effortless in the Covent Garden production. But his understanding of the role deepens dramatically between 1992 and 1995. By 2001, he embodies Otello, but his voice is not as full-bodied and is strained in places. His overall best performance is in this 1995 production. This conclusion is not just a compromise between when he's youngest in voice (1992) and most experienced in acting (2001). In Acts III and IV of The Met production, it feels as if Domingo is no longer performing; he becomes Otello. Words are inadequate to describe him here; it simply has to be experienced. His work in Otello's Act III soliloquy, the brief "Dio! Mi potevi," is one of the finest two minutes I've seen in opera. And he is simply spellbinding in Act IV, as he crawls dying toward Desdemona, crying out for a kiss while the "kiss theme" from their Act I duet plays.

The three Desdemona's are Kiri Te Kanawa (1992 Covent Garden), Renee Fleming (1995 The Met), and Barbara Frittoli (2001 La Scala). All excel in different ways. Desdemona is a challenge to play. It's hard to convince an audience that she would so submissively accept the unjust fate she knows is about to befall her. Perhaps her love for Otello is so strong, she believes it will eventually bring him to his senses. Perhaps she's in a steadily increasing state of shock over his irrational behavior, shock that prevents her from acting. Perhaps she sees no choice but to accept whatever consequence follows from her bold move of having left her homeland to follow the Moor. These are but three possible approaches to the role.

For purity of voice and lyrical quality, Te Kanawa (Covent Garden) is unsurpassed, but her acting is weak. Some might call her portrayal of Desdemona restrained; I find it too wooden. But it's worth seeing Te Kanawa to hear the purity of her voice, especially in Act IV's "Ave Maria" prayer. Frittoli (La Scala) has a beautiful dark and dusky voice, and her portrayal of Desdemona as young and naive is moving.

But Fleming's Met performance surpasses the other two. Her voice is more expressive and she's a better actress. In Otello and Desdemona's Act I duet, "Gia nella notte densa," I can hardly breathe when Fleming and Domingo get to the kiss. The tenderness between them is palpable. In their duet and her "first tears" solo at the beginning of Act III, Fleming's combination of incomprehension, pain, and fear is heartrending. In Act IV, Fleming draws us to her sadly but quietly in the Willow Song only to stun us with her cry of terror at the end: "Ah! Emilia addio, Emilia, addio." I've read that this one short cry must communicate all the passion of an entire song. That's a tall order and, in my opinion, only Fleming pulls it off.

Frittoli (La Scala) plays Desdemona as in an increasing state of shock. It's believable and effective, but Fleming's performance is deeper because it's multi-layered. To flesh out the character, I think Fleming incorporates all three of the approaches I described above, making Desdemona a more complex woman.

A performer can take several approaches to Iago. There is no subtlety in Sergei Leiferkus' approach (Covent Garden). He exudes slimy evil intent, looking crazed at times. I think there's also a sexual component to his characterization (whether aimed at Desdemona or Otello, I couldn't say). Leo Nucci (La Scala) takes a more traditional approach to Iago, playing him as a nasty schemer. But once again, I prefer The Met production's James Morris. His Iago is the most frightening to me because he's seemingly so personable around Otello. His smile and his smooth baritone voice run chills down my spine.

I prefer The Met DVD over the others, but you can't go wrong with any of the three. Bottom line, I recommend you don't miss Domingo as Otello in this powerful Verdi opera.


"A powerful Otello", Domingo is most certanly the best Otello so far. He really is the angry, jealous Moor. In this recording, from the Met Opera, we can really see that he understands the role and plays it superbly. Altdough a bit older, he still has the power to do it better than anybody else. He is especially good in Act 2, showing all the power (and the dificulty) of the role. With Domingo I like that his superb singing is accompanied by good acting, the fact that he feels tha stage, and all in all gives a splendid performance.
He is accompanied by James Morris, who is a fairly good Iago. When in comes to singing I actually prefer Justino Diaz (because his voice is deeper), but Mooris looks good, looks evil and cold ( especially when he sings "Credo in Dio..." and I find him to be good enough. He seems to be a good partner with Domingo, I think because he is a bit taller, that way realy giving the impression of power over Otello.
Reneé Fleming is a high quality Desdemona. Her voice is strong when needed and soft when needed. Fleming is also a good actress. Combined with Domingo, they give a hell of a performance.
They are all accompanied by other good singers, making this Othello one that a true Verdian should have.
The Orchestra and the Chorus of the Metropilitan Opera are good, not as good as La Scala, but good. They are powerful enough, and seem to enjoy their work.
James Levine seems to be an expert on Othello. Although he runs it a bit faster (than Maazel or Muti), he makes it a high quality performance.
This is a good performance of Verdi's masterpiece, and especially if you are an operatic beguiner, you should have it.
Enjoy


"Excellent within the limits of the medium", The grandeur of Verdi's late operas cannot be adequately captured on a video screen. To some extent the closeups compensate for what one loses of the spatial reality of the theater. In this DVD from the MET the cast is uniformly fine. All the cast members are musically assured so that they are free to act their roles to the hilt. They truly "live" their roles.
Domingo is superb as the moor. Fleming, captured before her more mannered recent work, is luscious to hear and to see. Morris is less convincing, not because he doesn't act or sing well but because he simply doesn't look very malevolent...this is where the closeups undercut the theaterical world of illusion.
The opportunity to see this great work live in an opera house doesn't happen too often and its unlikely that one could run into as strong a cast as appears in this performance. We must be grateful that the opera is available to us in this form.