Blog 10 - Otello

I chose act three because it gives many dynamics to the play without giving anything away. It begin with the conductor introducing the pit orchestra. The scene begin with just them playing the music is already quite ominous . The act shows Otello and another man plotting to set up Cassio, the man at question. The music seems to become more complex when the “handkerchief” has a deeper meaning attached to it. The music isn’t completely once sided, seemingly mixing mystery with curiosity, overall creating a sense of instability in Otello mind. When his wife enters there is more mixing of joy and mystery. Otello himself is speaking with his wife about how lovely her hand is but yet it is tainted some how. Otello allows her to rest her head on his chest, the music is light and calm until it the orchestra rests. The music remains at rest only for a pause, it becomes violent at the wife’s inquiry about Cassio, and at the same time Otello throws her off of him to show is disgust. The music also changes to emphasize the wife’s feelings as well. She yells “you frighten me!” and the music seemingly yells along with her. The music also moves as Otello’s accusations become more clear. Otello tell his wife to declare herself “chaste” would be to damn herself. Even so she does and then we get that sense of the world “spinning out of control”, but it is perceived musically at first through runs exchanged between the upper string to the cellos and violas back and forth. Then, before the end through long descending then ascending runs performed by the upper strings and heavy down beats from the bases.