Aida

Giuseppe Verdi, libretto Antonio Ghislanzoni
Royal Opera House
Released

Francesco Meli (Radames) and Elena Stikhina (Aida) with ensemble Credit: Tristram Kenton
Agnieszka Rehlis (Amneris) with a portrait of Radames Credit: Tristram Kenton
Soloman Howard (Ramfis) Credit: Tristram Kenton
Francesco Meli (Radames) and Insung Sim (King of Egypt) Credit: Tristram Kenton
Dance of the slaves - here soldiers Credit: Tristram Kenton
Francesco Meli (Radames) and Elena Stikhina (Aida) in the tomb Credit: Tristram Kenton

It is well known that Verdi composed Aida for the opening of the Cairo Opera House; less well known that the piece, set at a time of war between the Pharaohs and Ethiopia, had its performance delayed for two years by conflict elsewhere, the Franco-Prussian war that had trapped the scenery and costumes in Paris.

For this Covent Garden production, staged in October 2022, eight months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, director Robert Carsen responds to the piece’s military, nationalistic and religious associations with a howl of protest.

His superpower is modern America in all but name. Under its flag of a star and stripes, the dance of priestesses is replaced by Radames’ inspection of his troops, that of the Moorish slaves by a glorious display of battlefield gymnastics. While the assembled troops, arranged like West Point graduates, give thanks to the gods "on this triumphal day", others bear away standard-draped coffins. Behind the dais where the king and his daughter Amneris sit are projected the faces of the fallen.

At other times, the screen shows images of heavy weaponry and its effect, and while the chorus sings "Gloria all’Egito", a huge memorial board displays victims’ names, many of them Slavic. The final scene, where Radames and Aida are entombed, is set in a bunker for 100 missiles.

I find the concept valid and compelling, the Americanism serving as a model for an anti-war message rather than a vehicle for a diatribe against that country per se.

Conductor Antonio Pappano responds brilliantly to the wonderful, complex score with its conflicting but complementary elements. How he will be missed after stepping down as Musical Director. He drives the music thrillingly when required, for example on the occasion of Amonasro’s fffury with a triple fffortissimo, or picks out a heavy-footed stomp in the basses during a bombastic march.

However, an unusual number of passages are written pianissimo, and here he coaxes exquisite sounds from the orchestra and his singers.

Elena Stikhina gives a heart-rending performance as Aida, her voice luxurious in a series of laments, notably "O patria mia"—one of the greatest numbers for dramatic soprano—and in the hauntingly beautiful "O terra addio" that closes the opera with the words "Peace, peace, peace." Who knows what at the time was going through the mind of this Russian singer, who has maintained links with the pro-Putin Mariinsky opera.

Francesco Meli is a mellifluous Radames, making a striking start with his aria "Celeste Aida", softly caressing the melody as if it were fragile and ascending to a lovely, dying high Bb. His interaction with Stikhina is finely balanced both vocally and in their emotional conflicts.

The rich-toned Polish mezzo Agnieszka Rehlis is an artful, power-dressing Amneris, emerging like a figure from Dynasty, who recoils in disdain when her slave Aida deigns to touch her sleeve. The trajectory of the drama can always be seen in the faces of the two women, an example of the superb storytelling that underlies Carsen’s overriding interpretation.

The ever-reliable Ludovic Tezier is a forceful Amonasro, king of the Ethiopians, with Insung Sim and Soloman Howard as the Egyptian King and Ramfis, here a senior soldier, not a priest.

The chorus is admirably directed by William Spaulding, and the energetic choreography for the military ballet was devised by Rebecca Howell.

Covent Garden plans to reprise the production from January 2025. Meanwhile, this DVD will serve as a valued substitute for those who cannot attend, or reminder for those who do.

Reviewer: Colin Davison

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