Aida is not just one of my favourite Verdi operas, but one of my favourite operas ever. This Aida is not my favourite, that's the 1989 Met production with Millo and Domingo, however of all the Aidas all of which range from decent to pretty outstanding, this is one of the better ones.
This production looks wonderful in high definition, has lots of colour and is well lit. As any Aida production should be, it is big in spectacle, costumes and sets. And recently, this is one of the better-looking Aidas I have seen, the sets are huge particularly with the temples and the costumes are extravagant.
The staging is not quite as impressive. I loved how the stage was filled with the chorus, the duet between Aida and Amonasro is powerful, Celeste Aida and O Patria Mia are very understated and all the better for it and the final scene is very moving. While it is in general nowhere near as ineptly choreographed as the 1985 La Scala production or the production with Cheryl Studer, the Grand March felt a little dull to me, it wasn't the choreography as such, it was more to do with that it was in need of more majesty and grandeur.
I also wish that more thought had gone into some of the interaction of the singers. Not all of the production suffers from this, during the final scene the chemistry between Urmana and Botha seemed genuine and in the Act 3 duet between Aida and Amonasro Aida seemed suitably more panicked and Amonasro more angry, which is the effect I like for this scene. The start of the opera and the end of act 2 seemed rather static at times though.
However, I can't fault it musically. The music is perhaps Verdi's most stately with all the marches, hymns and processions, and it is equally magnificent. Celeste Aida and O Patria have always been favourites, and I don't find it easy at all to not cry during the final scene. The orchestra are suitably grand and often very powerful, particularly during Amonasro's big moment, so powerful in fact Guelfi was almost in danger of being drowned out. The conducting is a charismatic and musical reading.
On the whole, the singing is wonderful, the acting for me was mixed. Violetta Urmana is much better here than she was in the 2006 production in my opinion, in her acting she seems much more comfortable, and she sings beautifully. O Patria Mia is beautifully sung, very musical, poignant and understated in its staging, but just missed the sincerity I got listening or watching Price, Tebaldi or Millo.
Johan Botha is a knockout vocally. Huge Wagnerian-like voice, helps with the nightmare-to-sing high note at the end of Celeste Aida, that also has great warmth, something I don't always find with Rhadames. While he is not a stand-there-and-sing sort of actor strictly speaking, I don't find him quite as exciting when he's acting. He is noble and heroic and interacts well with Urmana but I find that excepting Domingo perhaps not many Rhadames do much beyond that. Botha does what he can with what he's required to do with that said.
Carlo Guelfi is good as Amonasro, with a good voice, exciting vocal expression and good acting. His singing shows good legato in act 2, and while it is not quite as powerful(in the sense I get when listening to GianGiacomo Guelfi, Becchi or Taddei) as it could've been during his big moment in his and Urmana's duet in act 3, possibly because it was showing signs of fatigue at the end, the vocal expression and tempo help to elevate.
I may be wrong in saying that of all the characters in Aida, Amneris is the most memorable. My favourites in the role are Ebe Stignani, Fiorenza Cossotto and Ghena Dimitrova, but Dolora Zajick, while not as comfortable as she was in the 1989 Met production, is a very memorable Amneris. Her voice is rather limpid, and she sings her music in act 4 in particular with relish. Her acting is mostly good especially in the Judgement scene, if sometimes awkward.
Then there is Roberto Scandiuzzi, who is excellent as Ramfis. I can find Ramfis in productions and sometimes on recordings too to be somewhat static, but Scandiuzzi luckily doesn't fall into that trap. His role is not quite as pivotal as Aida, Rhadames and Amneris, but he(like Nicolai Ghiaurov, Robert Lloyd and the Ramfis of the 1989 Met performance) shows a strong voice and an acting ability that rises above stolid.
The minor roles, like the King, don't quite make an impact, but still are quite good. Overall, a very good Aida and one of the better productions of the opera I've seen, whether recently or ever. 8.5/10 Bethany Cox
This production looks wonderful in high definition, has lots of colour and is well lit. As any Aida production should be, it is big in spectacle, costumes and sets. And recently, this is one of the better-looking Aidas I have seen, the sets are huge particularly with the temples and the costumes are extravagant.
The staging is not quite as impressive. I loved how the stage was filled with the chorus, the duet between Aida and Amonasro is powerful, Celeste Aida and O Patria Mia are very understated and all the better for it and the final scene is very moving. While it is in general nowhere near as ineptly choreographed as the 1985 La Scala production or the production with Cheryl Studer, the Grand March felt a little dull to me, it wasn't the choreography as such, it was more to do with that it was in need of more majesty and grandeur.
I also wish that more thought had gone into some of the interaction of the singers. Not all of the production suffers from this, during the final scene the chemistry between Urmana and Botha seemed genuine and in the Act 3 duet between Aida and Amonasro Aida seemed suitably more panicked and Amonasro more angry, which is the effect I like for this scene. The start of the opera and the end of act 2 seemed rather static at times though.
However, I can't fault it musically. The music is perhaps Verdi's most stately with all the marches, hymns and processions, and it is equally magnificent. Celeste Aida and O Patria have always been favourites, and I don't find it easy at all to not cry during the final scene. The orchestra are suitably grand and often very powerful, particularly during Amonasro's big moment, so powerful in fact Guelfi was almost in danger of being drowned out. The conducting is a charismatic and musical reading.
On the whole, the singing is wonderful, the acting for me was mixed. Violetta Urmana is much better here than she was in the 2006 production in my opinion, in her acting she seems much more comfortable, and she sings beautifully. O Patria Mia is beautifully sung, very musical, poignant and understated in its staging, but just missed the sincerity I got listening or watching Price, Tebaldi or Millo.
Johan Botha is a knockout vocally. Huge Wagnerian-like voice, helps with the nightmare-to-sing high note at the end of Celeste Aida, that also has great warmth, something I don't always find with Rhadames. While he is not a stand-there-and-sing sort of actor strictly speaking, I don't find him quite as exciting when he's acting. He is noble and heroic and interacts well with Urmana but I find that excepting Domingo perhaps not many Rhadames do much beyond that. Botha does what he can with what he's required to do with that said.
Carlo Guelfi is good as Amonasro, with a good voice, exciting vocal expression and good acting. His singing shows good legato in act 2, and while it is not quite as powerful(in the sense I get when listening to GianGiacomo Guelfi, Becchi or Taddei) as it could've been during his big moment in his and Urmana's duet in act 3, possibly because it was showing signs of fatigue at the end, the vocal expression and tempo help to elevate.
I may be wrong in saying that of all the characters in Aida, Amneris is the most memorable. My favourites in the role are Ebe Stignani, Fiorenza Cossotto and Ghena Dimitrova, but Dolora Zajick, while not as comfortable as she was in the 1989 Met production, is a very memorable Amneris. Her voice is rather limpid, and she sings her music in act 4 in particular with relish. Her acting is mostly good especially in the Judgement scene, if sometimes awkward.
Then there is Roberto Scandiuzzi, who is excellent as Ramfis. I can find Ramfis in productions and sometimes on recordings too to be somewhat static, but Scandiuzzi luckily doesn't fall into that trap. His role is not quite as pivotal as Aida, Rhadames and Amneris, but he(like Nicolai Ghiaurov, Robert Lloyd and the Ramfis of the 1989 Met performance) shows a strong voice and an acting ability that rises above stolid.
The minor roles, like the King, don't quite make an impact, but still are quite good. Overall, a very good Aida and one of the better productions of the opera I've seen, whether recently or ever. 8.5/10 Bethany Cox