For any opera house, scheduling Verdi’s “Aida” is a safe enough bet. The real danger lies in the casting. At the season premiere of Sonja Frisell’s handsome 1988 production for the Metropolitan Opera on Friday evening the company fielded a trio of soloists of impressive vocal power and stamina. For Liudmyla Monastyrska, who brought her voluptuous soprano to the title role, it was a triumphant house debut. For Carl Tanner, stepping in at the last minute for the ailing tenor Marco Berti, it was a felicitous return after his appearance in Puccini’s “Fanciulla del West” two years ago.
Ms. Frisell’s production, in use for almost a quarter century, is like a large, well-built but rudderless ship. While the absence of dramatic direction made for some static ensemble scenes, the combined fervor of Olga Borodina as Amneris and Fabio Luisi at the helm of a fired-up orchestra nevertheless made for an electrically charged and energetic performance.
From his demanding opening aria, “Celeste Aida,” Mr. Tanner left no doubt about his prowess, singing with a firm, generously sized voice and producing clarion top notes. His phrasing sometimes bordered on the formulaic, but his final duet with Ms. Monastyrska was tenderly delivered.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/arts/music/aida-at-metropolitan-opera.html?ref=metropolitanopera
Buy your tickets to the Metropolitan Opera from ClickTicket.com at: http://clickticket.com/performer/metropolitan-opera-tickets
"Like" to win the new iPhone 5 from ClickTicket.com! Read more: http://clickticket.com/offers/click-to-win-iphone-5#offer
No comments:
Post a Comment