The Maryland Lyric Opera’s Virtuosic Verdi

metroweekly.com:

Macbeth. As the program’s official description put it, “MDLO’s presentation at Strathmore puts the MDLO Orchestra center stage, while dramatic lighting, captivating projections, and enhanced visual supervision by David Gately takes the audience directly to Macbeth’s castle for an unforgettable performance.”This weekend, MDLO returns to Strathmore for the conclusion of its 2022/23 season devoted to Giuseppe Verdi, and the Italian master’s three Shakespearean operas in particular.“The ‘Season of Verdi’ is a celebration of grand works,” Woorman says. “They’re some of the most popular, most accessible.” They’re also some of the most demanding, in terms of size, scale, and skill, requiring “many people to all be pushing in one direction, working together to realize, and hopefully reach new levels of their own artistry and their own expression.”After January’s focus on Falstaff, the organization has turned its attention to Verdi’s penultimate masterpiece, his passionate retelling of the tragedy Otello.“We’re coming off of a comic opera, Falstaff.

And now we turn around and we have this very dramatic piece.” Woorman describes Otello as both “intense” and “rewarding,” and also “a really powerful and moving piece.”Internationally acclaimed American tenor Gregory Kunde will make his debut with MDLO in what will be his 19th time as the titular Otello since his 2012 debut in the role in Venice, including past productions from Turin to Tokyo, São Paulo to Cincinnati, and most recently, Munich and Vienna.“Gregory Kunde brings all this experience of this specific role, a signature of his, and we’re really excited for that,” Woorman says.