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The Met’s New Aida–The Genuine Article

Robert Levine

Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center, N.Y.; December 12, 2012—Sonja Frisell’s 1988 production of Verdi’s Aida with Gianni Quaranta’s gigantic sets is a known commodity: good looking, without any embarrassing moments in the Triumphal Scene; colorful costumes by Dada Saligeri; and rather ordinary interactions between the characters. Stephen Pickover is credited with the stage direction now, and he does keep the characters moving, but there’s little that’s either original or fascinating in their stand-and-deliver performances.

But it really should be seen/heard for the remarkable singing of Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska in the title role. Great Aidas are very difficult to come by; last season Violetta Urmana was unsatisfactory, but Latonia Moore filled in for her during the Saturday matinee broadcast and was very impressive. (Moore has since disappeared from the Met roster—very odd indeed.)  Monastyrska, however, is the finest Aida at the Met in recent memory, hands down. The voice is grand—bright and shiny and large at the top with a cutting edge, with gradations of color and dynamics from there down. She can spin a lovely phrase, is inherently musical, and her middle and bottom are rock solid. Only once or twice did she use actual chest voice on Wednesday evening. She rode over the orchestra at climaxes and turned in a sensitive “O patria mia”, with a fearless high C, which, though not softly attacked (as written) was perfectly placed and lustrous. She’s not much of an actress, but as mentioned, this was a rather “direct” approach to the opera, with little room for originality. Let’s hope she is cast in future productions of, say, La Gioconda, Macbeth, and/or La forza del destino.

Tenor Roberto Alagna’s first undertaking of the role of Radames this season is controversial. As ever, his phrasing was intelligent, and the general quality of the voice is standing up well after more than 20 years of performing. “Celeste Aida” has scared the bejeezus out of tenors for more than a century; its long lines, exposed high notes, and the request by the composer for a soft high B-flat at its close make it a cruel opening aria. Alagna got around the ending by singing the phrase falsetto and then repeating it an octave lower (a variation approved of by Toscanini for Richard Tucker, who could not sing softly above an A-flat, if that); it sounded odd, and the crooning bothered some. He sang handsomely and elegantly throughout the evening but continued to take high, soft tones in falsetto. Frankly, I preferred it to yelling, and see his Radames as a success.

Olga Borodina’s Amneris was commanding up to a point: the first three acts lie in an exciting, healthy part of her voice. However, the first scene of Act 4, the Judgment Scene (and the moment that a great Amneris—and the audience—wait for), takes her above the staff in a frenzy of anger and frustration: it should be thrilling. Here, Borodina’s voice simply failed her—the B-flats were lunged-at screams, and she could barely sustain the high line in general. George Gagnidze made a run-of-the-mill Amonasro; Stefan Kocan’s Ramfis was sonorous and imperious.

Fabio Luisi led an exciting, well-paced performance and the Met Orchestra and Chorus lived up to their grand reputations. But this Aida was all about its Aida: Monastyrska must be heard.

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