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When Robert Wilson's production of Verdi's Aida came to Covent Garden in 2003, I thought the ROH had hit rock-bottom in terms of operatic productions.
Though the staging is sometimes handsome, it is without doubt the most static version of the opera ever performed – I've been to concert performances of Aida with more action than this.
On this DVD filmed at La Monnaie in Brussels, however, some of the restriction of movement comes across fairly well, and it's good to be able to see the facial expressions of the singers more clearly: they are mostly wearing white Oriental face paint in keeping with the 'Zen' production, so it was difficult to make this out in the theatre.
Act 3 really suits the cool tranquillity of this staging, being set on the banks of the River Nile at night, and Aida's monologues are well-served by the focus of the direction on basic gestures rather than falling headlong into the usual operatic histrionics.
Other than that, some scenes are disastrously tedious from the visual point of view, and if the musical performances were not so good in general, the DVD would have very limited appeal. As it is, the conducting of Kazushi Ono is flexible and sensitive, and the orchestra and chorus play and sing with passion – except in the Grand March, whose static direction is surely to blame for a limp musical rendition.
Norma Fantini is startlingly good in the title role. The first act aria 'Ritorna vincitor!' conveys all the horror of the moment, whilst the refrain 'Numi pietà' both here and in the Act 3 'O patria mia' is sung with clarity and poignancy. Ildiko Komlosi is a ferocious Amneris, to my mind the most satisfactory singer in the role since Agnes Baltsa. Rarely have the tensions between the two princesses been so well pronounced by the musical performance. Komlosi also does the final scene rather movingly, her blood-curdling tone making you believe that her curse on the priests will come true.
Marco Berti's Radamès has to contend with a silly white face and not being allowed to touch his Aida in the death scene. In spite of this, he puts in a warm performance, and his Italianate voice is matched by the heft needed for this big role; 'Celeste Aida' is comfortable for him, for example, and as a result, highly convincing. Aida's father, the Ethiopian king Amonasro, is sung by Mark Doss, who is a weak singer with little to recommend him (by this performance at least). It's a surprise that the rest of the cast puts in such a vibrant performance of the largo concertato in the Act 2 finale, given that he starts it off with a very weak 'Ma tu, Re'. And he lacks the gravitas to make the Nile Scene quite as thrilling as it should be.
Also disappointing is Orlin Anastassov's underpowered Ramfis. But Guido Jentjens is magnificent as the King, combining stature and grandeur with a brilliantly agile vocal performance. Neither Michela Remor nor André Grégoire were in tune, as the High Priestess and Messenger respectively. Their counterparts at Covent Garden were two high-class Young Singers, and the lesser quality of the Brussels cast on this DVD shows how important the scheme is in allowing the ROH to fill smaller roles with competent singers.
The lack of features is a disappointment, especially by Opus Arte's normal standards. In all, a very mixed release – it's rarely unpleasant to watch, and usually riveting to listen to. But isn't this meant to be Grand Opera?
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