by Kathleen E. Carey

The end of Verdi's Otello, as many know, is rather bleak. Desdemona and Otello are dead, havoc has been unleashed and the villain Jago escapes. Disconcerting to some, it intrigued Karen Saillant, artistic director and stage director of the International Opera Theater, to create a sequel based on the miscreant.

"I knew that this character fascinated me because of his remorselessness," she said. "What could make him change?" So, with Italian composer Carlo Pedini and librettist Lucio Lironi, Saillant created the two-act opera, Jago, which is presenting its American premiere with the International Opera Theater, at the Media Theatre Friday and Saturday.

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Source: http://www.delcotimes.com/