Anthony Tommasini adds his opinion this morning to our own Willard Spiegelman’s about the new opera house and its first production. On the Winspear:
Several bigger, more significant American companies are going to envy the Dallas Opera its new home.
On Otello:
At times, especially in Act I, the performance of the orchestra and chorus was insecure and shaky. Jitters on this momentous opening might have been a factor. Also, the set that dominates this production, an intriguing, starkly modern staging by the British director Tim Albery that is filled with militaristic imagery, may have made it harder for the performers to follow the conductor and hear the orchestra.
One very minor note. I won’t see the new production until Saturday, but already I’m wondering: What is it with the Dallas Opera and 19th Century uniforms? They used the same motif in MacBeth, where it was even more outlandish. Did the costuming department get a discount from a retro-clothing supplier? Maybe the same people who dress Civil War reenacters?
