EPISODE · Mar 16, 2023 · 15 MIN
Otello: UNMOORED
from Every Voice with Terrance McKnight · host Limmie Pulliam, Kevin Maynor, Sylvia McNair
“Otello” debuted in Milan in 1887, just two years after European nations gathered in Berlin to agree on a campaign to carve up and colonize the African continent for their own profit. Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, based on the play Shakespeare wrote in the very early 1600s, centers on the Moor, Otello — an African who becomes a much-celebrated Venetian general for leading a successful war against his fellow Africans. Despite that, there’s no lasting comfort in store for Otello: the rage and jealousy of his lieutenant won’t stand for it. In this episode of Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, tenor Limmie Pulliam and baritone Kevin Maynor join Terrance to examine the character of Otello. This episode is hosted by Terrance McKnight and produced by David Norville. The Executive Producer is Tony Phillips. The Executive Producer for WQXR Podcasts is Elizabeth Nonemaker. Our research team includes Ariel Elizabeth Davis, Pranathi Diwakar, Ian George, and Jasmine Ogiste. Sound design and engineering by Alan Goffinski. Original music composed by Jeromy Thomas and Ashley Jackson. Special thanks to The Met archives.This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
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What this episode covers
The Moor Otello, protagonist of Shakespeare’s play and, later, of Verdi’s opera, becomes a hero in Venice because he’s a warrior, a fierce defender of Christian values. But despite his service to the state of Venice — the renunciation of his faith and his name, and his part in leading a successful war against his fellow Africans — he remains the subject of fear and envy.
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Otello: UNMOORED
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