Rossini’s Otello is an interesting piece with a completely different plot to the Shakespeare/Verdi version.  It’s entirely set in Venice for a start.  For more details on the plot and the not insignificant casting demands you might find the first few paragraphs of my review of a 2012 recording from Zurich helpful.

Opera by Request’s version, performed at College Street United Church last night, was concert style with piano accompaniment.  There was no chorus. The three big tenor roles were taken by Paul Williamson (Otello), Dillon Parmer (Jago) and Ernesto Ramirez (Rodrigo).  They all have the notes (and all three roles have that characteristic Rossini tenor tessitura) but to my ear Ramirez was the one who best encapsulated the “Rossini sound” with a bright pinging timbre that was fully Romantic and Italianate.  Rodrigo is the most interesting character and gets the best music anyway!

Dylan Wright was a mightily effective Elmiro.  He’s a big man and approximately twice as loud as anyone else in the cast.  Impressive!  Mezzo Meagan Reimer impressed as Desdemona too.  It’s a big, tricky role written for Isabella Colbran and it has a lovely version of the Willow Song which came off well here.  There were effective cameos too from Francis Domingue as the Doge and Abigail Veenstra as Emilia.  Sensitive piano accompaniment came from Bill Shookhoff.

I’m actually pretty impressed that Opera By Request would take on a difficult and not so well known work like this.  It’s really nice to have a chance to hear it live and the College Street United acoustic is excellent.