In December 2009 I was in the chorus for the Birmingham Opera Company production of Verdi’s Othello. Just over a year later and it’s now finally being screened on BBC 2 tomorrow, Saturday February 19th at 16:25.
Graham Vick’s radical production of Verdi’s Othello for Birmingham Opera Company. Set in a former industrial plant, the action unfolds in and around the audience. Ronald Samm plays Othello – the first time a black tenor has sung the title role in a professional staging of the opera in the UK. Two hundred and fifty people from Birmingham perform as chorus, dancers and actors alongside the professional principals and orchestra in a production which deals head-on with issues of identity, race and fear.
So, tune in, break out a bottle of sherry, get cultured and watch something truly amazing!