As the Moor . . . he is every inch the Venetian general. Can anyone have matched his heroic delivery, his frightening mien when deluded or his devastation when the truth is revealed? Every part of his face and body seems involved in this arresting portrayal . . . James Levine, who conducted Domingo's first Otello on record in the 1970s, has lost none of his ability to combine histrionic directness with a keen sensibility for the inner workings of a score he obviously loves, and his orchestra respond with dedicated playing.

Plácido Domingo, caught in one of his greatest roles . . . is a force of nature, showing what made him the Otello of his generation. Right from a thrilling 'Esultate!', he gives a commanding performance . . .

Domingo, in the supremely challenging title role, has to be something more, and this particular performance, some 16 years into his long exploration of Otello, shows him confident and with hardly a sign of strain anywhere.

. . . none of the versions, to my mind, catches so much of the work's immediate drama as this one, conducted by Levine . . . Elijah Moshinsky's production . . . is expertly directed in traditional, decorative sets, and Moshinsky encourages his star singers to go beyond what they usually achieve. As the Moor, Domingo is superbly dressed . . . Can anyone have matched Domingo's heroic delivery, his frightening mien when deluded, or his devastation when the truth is finally revealed to him? Every part of his face and body seems involved in this arresting portrayal, more searing even than his other versions. Renée Fleming and James Morris . . . both do very well . . . Morris gives us an interesting and unusual Iago. Here is a plausibly upright, tall courtier and confidant, who knows precisely how to manipulate Otello's simpler personality and does so with subtlety . . . James Levine hast lost none of his ability to combine histrionic directness with a keen sensibility for the inner workings of a score he obviously loves, and his orchestra responds with dedicated playing. Brian Large's video direction is as skilful as ever.

. . . [James Levine gives a] superlative account of the score, and Domingo is utterly magnificent . . . James Morris, smoother of tone, has a nice line in ironic smiling . . . [Renée Fleming is] especially memorable in her perfectly floated "Salce!" in the Willow Song.

Auf ihrer . . . Produktion »The Woman, The Voice« geizt Anna Netrebko, aktueller Opern-Superstar, weder mit optischen Reizen noch mit vokaler Virtuosität . . . Akustisch-visueller Gesamtgenuss statt purem Hörerlebnis . . .

Plácido Domingo ist als Otello sängerisch und vor allem auch darstellerisch auf seinem Zenit, ohne Outrage intensiv und glaubwürdig und macht auch in Großaufnahme etwas her. . . . grandiose Leistung des Titelhelden . . .

Die Inszenierung von Elijah Moshinsky ist minuziös zugeschnitten auf Plácido Domingo, der mit dieser Partie des venezianischen Feldherrn 1975 in Hamburg unter James Levine debütierte und seitdem berechtigte Triumphe als legendärer Otello feiert. Seine Stimmbeherrschung, die gekonnte Gratwanderung zwischen dramatischer Ausdrucksstärke, verzweifelter Innigkeit und noblem Schöngesang zeichnen ihn auch hier als einen idealen Interpreten des Mohren aus.

... el tenor español atravesaba entonces un momento vocal óptimo, sin síntomas de fatiga en la voz, sin la tirantez en los agudos que se aprecia en las otras dos producciones. Sigue brindando una emocionante caracterización del personaje, de un carisma escénico inimitable y una entrega vocal indiscutible. ... Muy bien James Levine en el foso, no sólo despliega energía, dramatismo y sentido teatral; acompaña admirablemente a las voces, en especial a Domingo ... Brian Large ... vuelve a plasmar de forma impecable en la pequeña pantalla el drama verdiano, llevando al espectador al centro de la acción escénica con increíble habilidad.

Kwaliteit voor alles. En zo is de "Otello" van Verdi die bij Deutsche Grammophon op dvd verscheen.