CAIRO: Verdi s Aida looks, feels and sounds like a true opera. Costumes, settings and performances are all extravagant. From the beginning, it is clear the viewer is in for a grand epic of a story. The curtains lift to an impressive opening scene with ancient Memphis in the background, setting a high standard maintained throughout.
The annual rendition of Aida opened Sep. 3 to a semi-filled audience, the first of two nights playing at the Cairo Opera House.
Aida is one of Guiseppe Verdi s most famous and popular operas, one he wrote in 1887 before taking a 16-year break from composing. French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette Pasha wrote the scenario and it was first performed at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo in 1871.
The storyline is true dramatic tragedy. Two women love the same man: one a king s daughter, the other her slave, but secretly the enemy s daughter. A girl is torn between her love for a man and duty toward her father and country. The king s daughter is forced to send the man she loves to his death, while saving her country from enemy attack.
The score itself is moving but there are no individually memorable or tuneful pieces. It is said that Verdi worked very hard to weave in Oriental elements by, for example, composing for ancient flutes and altered trumpets and incorporating exotic harp parts. The range of music is impressive, from roaring war and triumph pieces to gentle, quieter tunes commanding the audience s attention.
Particularly enjoyable were the ensemble dance pieces. The few dances were beautifully choreographed, especially against the stage backdrops and lighting.
The drama intensified as the night proceeded, climaxing in Act IV when all actors were at their best. Hala El-Shaboury, playing Amneris, the King s daughter, was ironically most stellar after she d been stripped of the heavy costuming that seemed to have been distracting from her performance. In a simple black frock, the audience saw the performer as a character and not just a performer, finally experiencing the emotional intensity of the situation.
Opera is not known for its subtlety, but one thing last night s performance needed was more attention to subtleties. The most significant of these subtleties was the first night s casting of the title character herself. While her soprano was mesmerizing, her stature and movements were those of a confident madame, hardly the part of a slave girl. The match between her – quite tall – and her lover Radames was ill-suited.
Also missing were the postures and glances needed to make the story believable. Igor Jan, as Radames, held practically the same expression throughout the performance, perhaps intended to express a commander s stoic demeanor.
The Opera House itself did not provide a comfortable atmosphere, as the room temperature was set chillingly low.
These missing elements prevented the audience from fully experiencing the opera on an emotionally engaging human level.
Nevertheless, opera-lovers were not disappointed. Some were there for the umpteenth time as part of a yearly ritual and were still praising the show. Attendee Nathan Bramsen, who considers himself an opera enthusiast, lauded the entire performance, from the set and costumes, to the strong voices of the lead singers, It was a performance worthy of any stage.
While Aida is only the 16th most performed opera in North America, according to Opera America, it will surely remain Egypt s favorite for the foreseeable future.
