Saturday, November 16, 2019 | Start Time: 07:00 PM

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Otello
Music by Giuseppe Verdi / Libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare’s Othello
In Italian with Projected English Titles / Production originally created by English National Opera as a coproduction with Royal Swedish Opera and Teatro Real Madrid

As a raging storm breaks on Cyprus, the governor Otello returns victorious from battle. But there is another storm brewing. Iago, Otello’s ensign, launches a malicious scheme to lead his chief to believe his wife Desdemona is unfaithful. As Iago’s manipulations decay Otello’s trust in those he loves, the great hero will confront his most fatal enemy: his own jealousy.

We launch the new season with Verdi’s monumental retelling of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, last staged by WNO nearly 20 years ago. A powerhouse cast assembles to perform some of opera’s most demanding vocals, including Otello’s vigorous role often dubbed the “Mount Everest” of the tenor repertory. Verdi’s sweeping music offers a psychological medium to explore good and evil, from Desdemona’s tender “Ave Maria” to Iago’s villainous “I believe in a cruel God” manifesto. Behold the downward spiral of a celebrated leader—and see who tragically falls with him.

Information is available at kennedy-center.org.