documentary Desdemona lives in Manhattan Musica

For Renée Fleming, Verdi's 19th century Otello addresses a timeless issue: "I think the contemporary women would see her as the victim of domestic abuse, we have a label for this now. The labelling of it is the first step towards eradicating it. When I started singing her, I never would have paired those two things together, and then it struck me one of the last times I sang the role, I thought: 'this is clear cut: this is domestic abuse!'"

Desdemona is one of Renée Fleming's signature roles. But getting into character was not that straightforward, even for such a great soprano. "When I first saw the opera, I have to tell you, honestly, I thought: 'This poor creature, she's just not very bright!' "She loves him so much, their love is so strong, and the First Act duet is some of the most glorious music ever in opera, that she never questions his feelings for her.

"She probably led a very sheltered life, so she doesn't have the sort of jaded quality that a woman with much more experience might have about relationships and men, therefore this is her undoing: it's this sense of trust," says Renée Fleming about her character.