Aida is among Verdi's most popular operas and it has great plot and music .Violeta Urmana as Aida I would say was the highlight of the three principals. Her acting is moving and she sings the role of Aida very well. Johan Botha as Radames has chemistry with Urmana in their scene and his voice is very good,though very few tenors manage to give some character to Radames and make him more interesting than he is. Dolora Zajick as Amneris may have lost a bit of power in her voice,but her singing is powerful,she gives poise and character to Amneris(Amneris and Azucena from Il Trovatore have always been signature roles of Zajick). Sets and costumes also look great and evoke Ancient Egypt. Overall,truly great Aida.8,5/10.
3 Reviews
One of the better Aidas I've seen
TheLittleSongbird11 October 2011
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
Supersize Me
Gyran22 December 2010
I have seen about a dozen Aidas and I have reviewed four of them on IMDb. The 1980's Pavarotti production comes out best musically although it is showing its age technically. The other three productions are, frankly, pretty dire – high on spectacle but low on musicality and drama. It is difficult to care about the characters in this ancient Egyptian love triangle but it is possible. Take, for example Zeffirelli's 2001 production from Busseto that, daringly, has no Grand March and no ballet.
I presume that this 2010 production from the Met is a revival. The sets and costumes are sensational but the whole thing has a hidebound look about it, like a production by a tired, East-European touring company. The Met has a tradition of casting on vocal ability, eschewing the tendency of other important opera houses to choose slim and glamorous performers. It does not seem to pay off in this case though since there is nothing special vocally about the three supersize performers. Best of the bunch is Johan Botha but his is an unexciting Ramades. Aida is sung by Violeta Urmana and I am as unimpressed here as I was by her 2006 performance at La Scala. Then there is the Amneris of Dolora Zadjik. I described her 1999 performance in Naples as muppet-like and I am at a loss to understand how, more than 10 years later she is still performing this role in major opera houses around the world. The Met really do seem to be fielding the B-team for this production.
The cast resist the temptation to black-up, as they still do in some Italian productions of this opera. They are mostly a glowing orange colour so the production looks like a Footballers' Wives Christmas pantomime. The choreography is uninspiring and the Grand March is dull. The best performances are given by the horses.
I presume that this 2010 production from the Met is a revival. The sets and costumes are sensational but the whole thing has a hidebound look about it, like a production by a tired, East-European touring company. The Met has a tradition of casting on vocal ability, eschewing the tendency of other important opera houses to choose slim and glamorous performers. It does not seem to pay off in this case though since there is nothing special vocally about the three supersize performers. Best of the bunch is Johan Botha but his is an unexciting Ramades. Aida is sung by Violeta Urmana and I am as unimpressed here as I was by her 2006 performance at La Scala. Then there is the Amneris of Dolora Zadjik. I described her 1999 performance in Naples as muppet-like and I am at a loss to understand how, more than 10 years later she is still performing this role in major opera houses around the world. The Met really do seem to be fielding the B-team for this production.
The cast resist the temptation to black-up, as they still do in some Italian productions of this opera. They are mostly a glowing orange colour so the production looks like a Footballers' Wives Christmas pantomime. The choreography is uninspiring and the Grand March is dull. The best performances are given by the horses.
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