Taken at a flowing pace, “Ora e per sempre” was the highlight, passionate and heroic. Kaufmann’s is not the largest tenor sound in the world – he was comprehensively outgunned by Marco Vratogna’s muscly Iago – but his vocal acting displayed intelligent absorption of the role. A notorious slow starter, Kaufmann hit the ground running here with a fine “Esultate!”, a bronze-toned lion of Venice rather than one with a clarion, trumpet cry.
Eventually, Kaufmann rose, like Christ on the third day, through a trapdoor to greet his disciples.
It needed a storm to clear the air, but the tempest unleashed by Pappano and his magnificent orchestra and chorus only heightened expectations. The electrifying buzz crackling about the sweltering theatre on opening night could partly be explained as self-congratulatory relief – given the startling top price ticket tag of £270 – that Kaufmann Hadn't Cancelled. The Royal Opera's Antonio Pappano tirelessly answered questions, reassuring everyone that yes, Kaufmann was here.
Even the dismissal of the Iago, Ludovic Tézier, from the production only momentarily deflected attention. Speculation about whether Jonas Kaufmann would even turn up for rehearsals to sing his first Otello have kept both press and social media frenzied for months.
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