It's unusual to begin a review of an Otello performance with praise for the villain, but Louis Quilico is a great Iago here. He was not yet 40 and the voice was in its prime, even from top to bottom, with a ringing top. Nor does Quilico just sing well; he insinuates and manipulates with the best of them. Vickers, in his first stage outings as Otello, is a formidable anti-hero. He never possessed an Italianate timbre and his top, though effective, was a bit limited. Yet he somehow creates a worthy, struggling human being trapped in a web not of his making. He would find more complex shadings and colors later on, but this is already an impressive portrayal. His death scene is very moving.Kabaivanska is a lovely Desdemona. Her Act Four scena is a highlight of the performance. Other roles brought out more individuality from her, yet she sings with grace and beauty. The supporting cast is very strong. Klobucar leads with a sure hand. The cut in the Act Three ensemble wouldn't be acceptable today.The sound is clear and well-balanced. Recommended highly to lovers of the opera or the singers.

Heard in what (I believe) were his first stage "Otello" performances, Jon Vickers is a thoughtful, commanding presence in the title role, even if his voice had not reached full Heldentenor maturity yet. Raina Kabaivanska is a limpid Desdemona, though Verdi is not as congenial to the *tinta* of her voice as Puccini would be. Louis Quilico is an Iago red of fang and claw, and there's already a mealy quality to the sound. Berislav Klobucar leads a taut, sharply pointed reading of the score, marred only by a cut in the Act III ensemble. The supporting cast, barring an ancient-sounding Roderigo, is solid.