Desdemona

DEZDEMONA
A two-act ballet

Music director and conductor: Ričardas Šumila
Director and choreographer: Anželika Cholina
Conductor: Julius Geniušas
Set designer: Marijus Jacovskis
Costume designer: Olga Filatova Kontrimienė
Hair and makeup designer: Dalia Žakytė
Lighting designer: Audrius Jankauskas
Premiere: May 26, 2023

Performed by the theatre’s ballet company and guest ballet dancers.

Anatolijus Šenderovas’s ballet “Dezdemona” is based on William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello”, in which the psychological worlds of two very different characters—Othello and Iago—collide. Othello, a Moorish army commander, was a general in the Venetian army defending Cyprus against the Ottoman invasion. He married Desdemona, a Venetian woman much younger than himself. Their engagement took place against her father’s wishes. Iago, Othello’s standard-bearer, driven by a desire for revenge, maliciously fuels his commander’s jealousy, claiming that Desdemona is unfaithful to him with Othello’s friend Cassio. Inflamed by jealousy, Othello’s imagination paints a picture of his wife’s infidelity. Overcome by blind fury, the Moor kills the only woman dear to him.

Because of its eternally relevant themes of passion and jealousy, Shakespeare’s tragedy remains relevant today and continues to inspire many different interpretations on dramatic stages. By contrast, the subject has been explored far less often through choreography. In this context, choreographer Anželika Cholina’s perspective on the tragedy of “Othello” stands out. Her production “Dezdemona” differs in many ways from its first staging at LNOBT in 2005. We hear a different version of the musical score, more closely linked to the plot of Shakespeare’s tragedy in accordance with the choreographer’s libretto. In A. Cholina’s production, the dancers of the small Kaunas State Musical Theatre ballet company perform several roles each, creating not only an effect of scale but also giving meaning to the theatrical wonder of characters transforming. The ballet “Dezdemona” delves deeper into the characters’ feelings and emotions, with music and choreography closely intertwined. The ballet’s musical score features a prominent percussion section, requiring exceptional concentration to bring out its most subtle nuances. The performance therefore also features live playing by renowned jazz percussionist Arkadijus Gotesmanas, who took part in the ballet’s first production. The theatre’s ballet company performs in the ballet.