There is great cheering in the Liceu at the close of this Otello and particularly for the Otello himself. But “Oh, the pity of it, Iago”. There was a time when it seemed possible that in José Cura we would have the Otello of this decade: the voice, the stage presence and something of the feeling for the tragedy were his, together with a lot that needed refining and good direction. What we see and hear now reminds us sufficiently often of that hope to make “the pity of it” a still more lamentable presence. The voice is still impressive and like no other to be heard today; but the tone is unresponsive to the emotions and the subtler developments, some of the great passages (“Ora e per sempre addio”, “Si, pel ciel”, “Ma, o pianto, o duol”) are indecently hurried, and the start of the love duet is repeatedly flat. And the direction he is under in this production (if, indeed, it and not he is responsible for the more pretentious fatuities) is anything but good.

The Iago, however, is more than adequate, and the Desdemona is admirable. Krassimira Stoyanova sings beautifully, with pure, steady tone and fine gradations of volume, and is dignified, if not especially moving, in her acting. The Cassio of Vittorio Grigolo is graceful, if implausibly ready to respond to Iago’s suggestions in the handkerchief scene. The chorus sings well but is produced with a woeful lack of interest. That – the producer’s interest – centres on a cross; the symbolic potential is fearfully glimpsed from the start but fulfilled with scarcely imaginable persistence. Another feature of the production is that the first two acts are run together without a break, likewise Acts 3 and 4, so that in the absence of a bed Desdemona has to sleep on the floor – on the cross of course.