The Met Live in HD: Verdi's Otello

Verdi’s towering masterpiece, based on Shakespeare’s tragedy, makes its first Live in HD appearance.Semyon Bychkov conducts an extraordinary cast led by Johan Botha in the title role of the jealous Moor of Venice, opposite Renée Fleming in one of her greatest roles, Otello’s innocent wife Desdemona.Falk Struckmann sings Iago, Otello’s disloyal ensign, and Michael Fabiano is the captain Cassio.

Approximate running time: 3 hrs 27 mins

Tickets: $24 Adults / $22 Seniors / $5 Youth 18 and under (Day of Event Only)

There will be a special pre-opera talk by Morton Achter at 11:45am entitled "Opera and Shakespeare": Verdi’s favorite playwright was Shakespeare, a source mined by many other opera composers as well.Why were the Bard’s plays so popular, particularly in the nineteenth century? A comparison will be offered between Othello the play and Otello the opera.

This is the fourth season of The MET: Live in HD for which Morton Achter, a resident of New Harbor, will present a series of pre-opera talks prior to selected broadcasts at the Lincoln Theater. A retired college professor, Dr. Achter has taught about and directed opera for over forty-five years. Holding a Ph.D. in music and theater history from the University of Michigan, he also has directed for the Lincoln County Community Theater – most recently productions of Gypsy and Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid.