As disappointed as I was in watching this production of Aida, it is better than the one from 2009 in Bregenz. It is a long way from the best though, the two best are both from the Met, one with Aprile Millo(1989) and the other with Leontyne Price(1985, her farewell to opera as a matter of fact), with the recent Met production with Olga Borodina as Amneris also excellent.
There are good things of course. Coming off best was Hui He, whose lyric-spinto voice has a great shimmering beauty either loud or soft. This is especially true in O Patria Mia, the final Tomb scene and Cieli Azzurri. Her controlled legato and strong high notes are also striking, as is her incisive and heartfelt acting. Ambrogio Maestri was the standout in support, his voice is large and rich but never on one note or colour. And his authoritative terrifyingly ruthless acting- so perfect for Amonasro- made him the best actor on stage, which is saying a lot actually. Robert Tagliavini is a regal and warmly sung King.
And the production certainly looks fabulous in the costume and set design. It is a traditional production and is the very definition of grand, the statues and monuments are towering and even more majestic when caked in light and the sunsets and night skies are very effectively evoked. The costumes are similarly exotic. The chorus blend very well and make a rousing sound that is appropriately uplifting in the Triumphal scene. The video directing, picture and sound are very nicely done.
Unfortunately, I wish I can say more in this production's favour but I can't. The orchestra play solidly and with a good sound but without any passion. Zubin Mehta shapes phrases with finesse and is very musical, but it is a rather perfunctory reading. And there seemed to be a sing/play the music but little else attitude going on. The production itself may have looked great, but the staging just didn't engage. Many of the performers just stand and sing with not much rapport with one another(He and Maestri in the Nile scene are one of few exceptions). The Triumphal scene didn't rouse, and the choreography of Dance of the Sacred Priestesses was at best risible. We even see a chorus member mouthing the words as Amonasro is pleading to the king, which was laughably distracting.
Marco Berti may have the right size voice for Radames, but that is it. While his Radames is a little better than his Enzo and Ernani, that is saying very little, seeing as he often sounds strangulated above top F, he has no musicality whatsoever- forte is the only dynamic seemingly that he is able to sing in- and as an actor he is a non-entity(I know Pavarotti was no great shakes as an actor but at least he had a personality). Luciana D'Intino was disappointing. Unusually for her, her Amneris- the most interesting character of Aida too- is lacking in any kind of command and personality. And D'Intino is really not at her best vocally, often sounding like she has three different voices and neither of which are very nice-sounding(shrill top, almost-lack of projection in the passagio and a sledge-hammer-like forced bottom). Giacomo Prestia fares a little better, he has the dark authority and nobility for Ramfis, but his vocal unsteadiness brings him down.
Overall, uneven production with a fair bit of good but also too much bad. 5/10 Bethany Cox
There are good things of course. Coming off best was Hui He, whose lyric-spinto voice has a great shimmering beauty either loud or soft. This is especially true in O Patria Mia, the final Tomb scene and Cieli Azzurri. Her controlled legato and strong high notes are also striking, as is her incisive and heartfelt acting. Ambrogio Maestri was the standout in support, his voice is large and rich but never on one note or colour. And his authoritative terrifyingly ruthless acting- so perfect for Amonasro- made him the best actor on stage, which is saying a lot actually. Robert Tagliavini is a regal and warmly sung King.
And the production certainly looks fabulous in the costume and set design. It is a traditional production and is the very definition of grand, the statues and monuments are towering and even more majestic when caked in light and the sunsets and night skies are very effectively evoked. The costumes are similarly exotic. The chorus blend very well and make a rousing sound that is appropriately uplifting in the Triumphal scene. The video directing, picture and sound are very nicely done.
Unfortunately, I wish I can say more in this production's favour but I can't. The orchestra play solidly and with a good sound but without any passion. Zubin Mehta shapes phrases with finesse and is very musical, but it is a rather perfunctory reading. And there seemed to be a sing/play the music but little else attitude going on. The production itself may have looked great, but the staging just didn't engage. Many of the performers just stand and sing with not much rapport with one another(He and Maestri in the Nile scene are one of few exceptions). The Triumphal scene didn't rouse, and the choreography of Dance of the Sacred Priestesses was at best risible. We even see a chorus member mouthing the words as Amonasro is pleading to the king, which was laughably distracting.
Marco Berti may have the right size voice for Radames, but that is it. While his Radames is a little better than his Enzo and Ernani, that is saying very little, seeing as he often sounds strangulated above top F, he has no musicality whatsoever- forte is the only dynamic seemingly that he is able to sing in- and as an actor he is a non-entity(I know Pavarotti was no great shakes as an actor but at least he had a personality). Luciana D'Intino was disappointing. Unusually for her, her Amneris- the most interesting character of Aida too- is lacking in any kind of command and personality. And D'Intino is really not at her best vocally, often sounding like she has three different voices and neither of which are very nice-sounding(shrill top, almost-lack of projection in the passagio and a sledge-hammer-like forced bottom). Giacomo Prestia fares a little better, he has the dark authority and nobility for Ramfis, but his vocal unsteadiness brings him down.
Overall, uneven production with a fair bit of good but also too much bad. 5/10 Bethany Cox
