SA tenor dethrones Domingo
2008-02-13 13:42
Verena Dobnik
New York - It's no small task for a tenor to take on a role that Placido Domingo dominated for decades - Verdi's Otello.
But the South African tenor Johan Botha triumphed on Monday at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where Domingo sang 40 performances of the Shakespearean tragedy that Verdi turned into towering musical drama.
The Met audience awarded the South African star with a standing ovation for his portrayal of the complex Otello.
Otello's self-destructive love journey is one of the most riveting in opera, and one of the most technically taxing.
The role demands a combination of Wagnerian heft, Italianate lyricism and volcanic rage that few singers possess.
The 42-year-old Botha poured his powerful yet sweet sound into the part of the jealous Moor of Venice.
His clarion tenor exuded both passion and stamina, with blowtorch high notes like the high C Otello uses to castigate the wife he believes is unfaithful.
Botha's shattering portrayal of Otello was matched by the near-perfect Desdemona of leading American soprano Renee Fleming, who brought a ravishing purity to the role of the wife humiliated and literally strangled by her husband's blind obsession.
Despite his somewhat stiff acting, the chemistry between Botha and Fleming blossomed from the start.
Leading interpreter of Otello today
Domingo first sang the title role at the Met in 1979, and last appeared with the company as Otello in 1999.
Tenor Ben Heppner took on the role four years ago, his massive stature accompanying a vocal strength that fit the part.
Now comes Botha, who is considered the leading interpreter of the role today.
Like Heppner, he is a large physical and vocal presence. In a way, his imposing figure is a dramatic plus as this giant of a man is demolished by a lowly, cunning villain.
No doubt, the temptation is to compare any Otello today with Domingo. And in some ways, Botha falls short when pitted against Domingo's electrifying, burnished voice and achingly tortured acting.
But it's more gratifying to judge Botha on his own merit - as a powerhouse voice bigger than Domingo's, and used with elegance, ease and humanity.
- AP