Shakespeare
Other operas based on plays by Shakespeare:
Otello (Othello) - Giuseppe Verdi
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Benjamin Britten
Anthony and Cleopatra - Samuel Barber
Othello
Other operas based on Shakespeare's play Othello:
Otello (Othello) - Gioachino Rossini
Information about the opera Otello by Gioachino Rossini, and the best recordings available on CD or DVD, or for download.
Only loosely based on Shakespeare's original, it acted as an inspiration for Verdi's own adaptations of Shakespeare.
Recommended recordings on CD
Fogliani/Spyres/Pratt (Naxos 8.660275-76)
Features a superb performance by the Australian soprano Jessica Pratt as Desdemona.
Transylvania State Philharmonic Choir, conducted by Antonino Fogliani, 2008.
Cast: Michael Spyres (Otello), Jessica Pratt (Desdemona), Giorgio Trucco (Iago), Filippo Adami (Rodrigo).
Naxos 8.660275-76
López-Cobos/Carreras/Stade (Philips 432 456-2)
A wonderful recording.
Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Jésus López-Cobos.
Cast: José Carreras (Otello), Frederica von Stade (Desdemona), Gianfranco Pastine (Iago), Salvatore Fisichella (Rodrigo).
Philips 432 456-2