Aleksandrs Antonenko to Headline Greek National Opera’s ‘Otello’

By Nicolas Quiroga

The Greek National Opera, in co-production with Festspiel BadenBaden, will present a new production of Verdi’s “Otello” between Feb. 20 through March 6 at Stavros Niarchos, Athens.

The production, which will run for five total performances, will be directed by Robert Wilson, in his company debut, with a cast led by Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko, soprano Cellia Costea, and baritone Tassis Christoyannis.

“’Otello’ takes a lot of concentration,” said Wilson in an official statement. “This story is more of an internal conflict, a question of insecurity with someone who is very strong and also very weak. It’s a traditional, tragic, complicated situation. Otello is dealing with the question ‘what is it like to be a foreigner?’ One finds these classical conflicts throughout all literature, throughout all history. One can say it is contemporary, but I would rather say it’s full of time. It is not ‘timeless,’ but full of time. We can go back to the 16th century or to the 19th century or we can be in the 21st century – we still have the same old conflicts.”

This production is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, with the Greek National Opera Orchestra, Choir and Children’s Choir, as part of its educational mission. It represents the first collaboration the company has with the Festspiele Baden Baden.

All attendees must be vaccinated against COVID-19, in accordance with the guidelines and regulations established by the Greek government.

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