In an interesting article published in the program (and well worth reading), Brian Kellow make the case for “Aida” as chamber opera, noting that, aside from the famous Triumphal scene, it consists almost entirely of scenes featuring only two to four voices accompanied by subtle orchestration.Īnd what voices we have in this “Aida.” American Soprano Lea Crocetto (Aida) has matured from promising Adler Fellow in 2009 to full fledged diva in 2016. The result is interesting, exotic, and haunting, but also quite simple, allowing primacy to the music.Īnd that’s a good thing. Instead, the design has been inspired by graffiti artist RETNA, whose work features his own original hieroglyphic symbols, which are influenced by Egyptian forms but also modern graffiti and medieval illuminated manuscripts. Visually, this is a most unusual “Aida,” with none of the traditional Egyptian headdresses or references to sphinxes and pyramids.
Many disappointed opera fans may miss the spectacle, but nobody can fault the musical results. The triumphal fanfare featured in Act I, Scene 2 is as famous and easily recognizable as the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or the William Tell Overture.Īll of this brouhaha can obscure the wonderful music, and in the current production, much of the spectacle has been scaled back to allow the score (presented uncut) to be front and center. Opera lovers relish the stories of overblown staging (elephants, acrobats, scenery of a size that tries to recreate the Pyramids or the Sphinx) and diva disasters (horses and elephants will do things on stage that no human actor would). In terms of spectacle, story, sweep, and grandeur it is the very definition of “opera” - from its most sublime to its most silly. So, the first thing to know about “Aida” is that it is one of the most popular operas ever written, with thousands of performances, all over the world. By Charles Kruger Leah Crocetto as Aida and Brian Jagde as Radames in Verdi’s “Aida”.
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