Rossini's rarely performed version of Shakespeare's tragedy comes to Opera Philadelphia for the first time in a critically acclaimed production by Spanish director Emilio Sagi (Tancredi 2017). Set in the 1920s, with elegant costumes and scenery evocative of the gilded world of Downton Abbey, Sagi's production puts a unique focus on the character of Desdemona, a woman whose acts of both rebellion and loyalty position her as more than just a symbol of lost innocence, but as the moral center of a changing world.
As in Shakespeare's play, Desdemona defies her father, Elmiro, and marries his enemy Otello rather than the nobleman Rodrigo. Their love is undone by the vengeful Iago, who is also in love with Desdemona and plots to convince Otello that his wife has been unfaithful.
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