Otello, Hamlet, War and Peace
Many would regard Verdi’s late masterpiece, Otello, as the most successful operatic adaptation of Shakespeare. Some have also even opined that it is better than the play. There is no doubting that it is a remarkable work and a towering landmark in nineteenth-century opera. It was a remarkable alignment of fate for this reviewer to able to see the Verdi work a day before a third viewing of perhaps the most successful Shakespeare adaptation of the twenty-first century, Brett Dean’s Hamlet. Directed by Neil Armfield, this opera has enjoyed outstanding success after its première at Glyndebourne in 2017. The following year, it was staged at the Adelaide Festival, followed by a new production by Matthew Jocelyn, the librettist of the opera, for the Cologne opera in 2019. Then in 2022 came the ultimate recognition: Armfield’s staging at the New York Metropolitan Opera, broadcast live in HD. It doesn’t get much bigger than that. Now this production has reached the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. To see two operas based on two of the greatest flowerings of Western art – Hamlet and War and Peace – and a third reckoned by most as the finest example of Shakespearean adaptation, was joy indeed.
Continue reading for only $10 per month. Subscribe and gain full access to Australian Book Review. Already a subscriber? Sign in. If you need assistance, feel free to contact us.
