There were moments of worthy singing yet far too little emotional intensity or depth of characterization in what is one of Verdi’s most searing and psychologically penetrating operas. Yet, even apart from the Iago casting drama, the Lyric’s opening Otello couldn’t quite seem to find its footing for most of the performance. He clearly earned the glittery opening-night audience’s gratitude, and was rewarded with the loudest curtain-call ovation for saving the evening. And while the veteran singer’s raspy baritone felt undeniably light for the role, Thomas brought committed dramatic instincts to the arch-villain. Todd Thomas, who was covering the role, went on in Struckmann’s place. More crucially, Falk Struckmann, the evening’s Iago, withdrew after Act 1, citing “extreme allergies.” The curtain announcement by general director Anthony Freud was as unexpected as it was baffling since the German baritone had been singing with robust tone and dramatic command, having just thrown off a swaggering Brindisi. For verisimilitude, Chicago was hit by a thunderstorm and downpour that atmospherically set the scene for the swirling tempest that opens Verdi’s penultimate opera. The Lyric Opera’s season-opening performance of Otello had even more drama than usual Saturday night, most of it unplanned. Johan Botha and Ana Maria Martinez star in Lyric Opera’s “Otello,” which opened the company’s season Saturday night.

Lyric opera house of chicago awning