Opera in HD: Verdi’s Aida at the Met Opera

Monumental Met Opera production of a timeless masterpiece by Verdi with the incomparable Leontyne Price in the title role and historic star-studded cast recorded in 1985

Stream from home on May 1, 2020  

Verdi’s Aida, the ultimate Grand Opera, is a highlight of every opera season. The grandeur of the music calls for an equally magnificent cast.

The live recording of Aida in January of 1985 was Price’s farewell to the opera world which, brought historic significance to the event. The role of Amneris was performed by Fiorenza Cossotto with James McCracken as Radames and James Levine conducting.

The stage design recreates the pompous style of the Old Kingdom architecture in all its sumptuousness. The production director matched the decor with hundreds of performers including four horses, two brass choirs, ballet dancers, and supernumeraries trooping the stage. It all aims to convey the might and power of Egypt’s Pharaoh. And it surely fulfills the intent. That state omnipotence is skillfully contrasted against the lonely and touching scenes of soul-searching, love, and despair. This is the theater in all its might with its tricks finely brought together for the joy of the opera fans.

You can stream Aida from home on May 1, 2020.             STREAM NOW

 

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Giuseppe Verdi was intrigued by the script written by his friend and collaborator Camille du Locle with whom Verdi started the work on Aida in late 1869. The script was based on the story of Aida created by Auguste Mariette (1821–1881), an influential French Egyptologist and a founder of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. The love triangle story set in ancient Egypt with its promise of rich visuals and vivid details of the ancient past guaranteed unparalleled attention. At that time archeological excavations in the ancient lands were widely followed bringing the new finds and discoveries to the amazement and education of the public. Adding to Verdi’s interest in taking this project on notwithstanding his semi-retirement at the time was also the largest commission fee by Cairo‘s Khedivial Opera House. However, contrary to popular belief Verdi refused to compose the opera as a tribute to the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.

The opera premiered in Cairo in 1871 on December 24 with the set and decorations brought from Paris. It then was triumphantly performed at all major European opera houses earning high acclaim and unequaled popularity. In New York, the opera premièred in 1886 and more than a thousand performances followed.

From 1988, the Met Opera presents Aida in Sonja Frisell’s production. It offers an expensive take calling to mind Zeffirelli’s shows. In fact, it was selected by the Met as a less expensive option compared to Zeffirelli’s proposal. While admiring the undertaking the reviews wondered about the omissions “perhaps, elephants as well as horses in this ancient Egyptian setting?” Luckily for the theatergoers, the Met continues with this production regularly including the beloved masterpiece in its program.

The potent material calls for big voices and personalities. Anna Netrebko, who was singing the role of Aida in the fall of 2018, brought an exhilarating performance and tenderly sung the role of Aida. This was her first appearance as Aida on the Met stage. However, the role itself is not new for Netrebko who debuted in it at Salzburg Festival in 2017 with Vienna Philharmonic under Ricardo Muti’s musicianship. The critics noted Netrebko’s elegant signing as “richly beautiful middle register glowed throughout, and her tireless top register rode the stormer passages with amazing ease.” It even brought to mind a comparison to magnificent Leontyne Price (b 1927) in Aida. And while some were not impressed with a vacuous production of Aida in Salzburg, it put the accent on the singers and left space for the viewers to imagine the details of the ancient past for themselves. It is unlike the current production at the MetOpera where the decor forces its weighty point of view.

In the winter of 2019, another electrifying opera duo of Sondra Radvanovsky and Dolora Zajick took stage offering new colors and an equally interesting interpretation to the roles. Some critics call Radvanovsky the Met darling because of her consistent casting by the Met to lead in its popular productions. In the fall of 2018 Radvanovsky triumphantly performed to rave reviews in Tosca.

Verdi’s Aida continues to be one of the most popular operas in the repertoires of every major opera house worldwide. It was adapted for a film and a musical and has rich discography and filmography. The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus recording with J. Levine conducting was released by DG from 1988.

Aida opera runs for 3 hours and 36 mins in three acts with two intermissions.

You can stream Aida from home on May 1, 2020.             STREAM NOW

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Venue: Met Opera, Lincoln Center, NY