Stanford Report, October 9, 2009

West Coast premiere of Uri Caine's 'Othello Syndrome' opens Lively Arts season on Saturday

The Grammy-nominated work 're-imagines' Verdi's classic opera and Shakespeare's play.

Composer, pianist and jazz iconoclast Uri Caine opens Stanford Lively Arts' 2009-10 season with the West Coast premiere of The Othello Syndrome at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. The concert riffs on Verdi's classic opera Othello using jazz, funk, blues, soul and electronica.

"Some of the songs are original, but there are a lot of great set pieces in that opera, such as the Drinking Song, which we play in [Verdi's] groove but also use as a vehicle for improvisation," said Caine in a Lively Arts interview. "Or the duet between Othello and Desdemona in the first act, when they're declaring their love for each other and everything's perfect – sort of like an R&B singer meeting a Björk singer."

The production showcases a cast of multi-talented performers from around the world, including R&B singer-producer Bunny Sigler and Swedish jazz singer Josefine Lindstrand. Stanford drama Professor Rush Rehm portrays Iago alongside the Caine Ensemble.

The Othello Syndrome, which debuted at the Venice Biennale for Music in 2003, was nominated for a "Best Classical Crossover Album" Grammy Award in 2008. Saturday's opening act, curated by Heidi Lee, a doctoral student in musicology, will feature 18 minutes of scenes from Othello's other famous chronicler, William Shakespeare.

For the Lively Arts schedule and ticket information, visit http://livelyarts.stanford.edu/.