LondonJazz reader Henry Little writes about the power of the Toni Morrison/ Peter Sellars Desdemona featuring Rakia Traore:

The Desdemona Project at the Barbican is a real one-off blend of song cycle and dramatic monologue. Featuring wonderful and very poignant singing by the Mali-born artist, Rakia Traore and a great central performance by Tina Benko, here is the story of Desdemona’s relationship with her black nurse, Barbary, charting her tragic relationship with Othello. Directed with great sensitvity by Peter Sellars with a beautiful poetic text by Toni Morrison, Desdemona is a powerful meditation on a woman struggling to find her voice in a man’s world. It’s only on for two nights at the Barbican Concert Hall and certainly should not be missed.