Othello Thompson Honigmann

At last, 13 films from one of the great and most personal documentary filmmakers have been collected in a boxset, including many not available before on home media.

The album "Paul Robeson in Shakespeare's Othello (2023 Remastered Version)" features remastered recordings of Paul Robeson's performances in the classic William Shakespeare play "Othello." Paul Robeson, one of the most influential African American artists of the 20th century, was renowned both as a stage and vocal performer. He gained widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Othello, especially during the 1930s and 1940s.

The album "Paul Robeson in Shakespeare's Othello (2023 Remastered Version)" features remastered recordings of Paul Robeson's performances in the classic William Shakespeare play "Othello." Paul Robeson, one of the most influential African American artists of the 20th century, was renowned both as a stage and vocal performer. He gained widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Othello, especially during the 1930s and 1940s.

If anything, Othello has increased its stature as one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies ever since it was first written, between 1603 and 1604, due to the victimisation suffered by its tragic hero, Othello, as a result of his skin colour. Othello is a "noble Moor", a North African Muslim who has converted to Christianity and is deemed one of the Venetian state's most reliable soldiers. However, his ensign Iago harbours an obscure hatred against his general, and when Othello secretly marries the beautiful daughter of the Venetian senator Brabanzio, Iago begins his subtle campaign of vilification, which will inevitably lead to the deaths of more than just Othello and Desdemona…

Addressing the output of classical composers seems eventually to have become the dominant thrust of keyboardist Uri Caine's work. Schumann, Wagner, Bach, Beethoven and Mahler have fallen to sometimes radical re-posturing of their grand scores. Caine messes with the old assumed interpretations, deliberately distorting the usual expectations of performance by inserting elements of jazz, rock, funk, soul, blues, hip hop and electronica, always utilizing a cast of players from a broad range of backgrounds.