San Bernardino Sun, CA
Jan 29 2005
Although considered a classic, Verdi’s ‘Aida’ misses the mark
By David Mermelstein
Correspondent
Verdi’s “AIDA” has been called one of three perfect popular operas.
Yet even placement in such a pantheon cannot protect it from
indifferent productions, something the Los Angeles Opera proved on
Saturday night with its revival of Pier-Luigi Pizzi’s sad-sack
production, first presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in
September 2000.
Compounding the disappointment was a cast that seldom impressed,
headed by American soprano Michele Crider – making a wan company
debut – in the title role. And if that wasn’t enough to make a weary
opera-goer want to drown himself in the Nile, then surely Peggy
Hickey’s bizarre and risible choreography was. Her weirdly homoerotic
“battle” between Egyptians and Ethiopians is among the most
embarrassing things ever to find its way onto the Chandler stage.
Granted, “Aida” is not easy to mount. Spend too much money – as New
York’s Metropolitan Opera has – and the production looks bloated. But
spend too little – as is clearly the case here – and the whole
enterprise seems a big waste.
Pizzi’s set – with its sliding panels and large columns – reminds one
of the kinds of department stores that once lined Wilshire Boulevard.
So the multicolored costumes, seemingly pinched from a road-company
“Tannhauser,” don’t quite fit. Of course, not everyone on stage is
wearing much, anyway. The dancers are barely dressed at all, for
instance.
Perhaps if the singing were better, these elements would matter less.
But Crider’s unremarkable voice, often overwhelmed by the orchestra,
did little to capture attention, except when she jerked toward
shrillness. And she appeared unmoved by Aida’s woeful circumstances –
strange given that a princess who becomes a slave and then loses her
beloved to her mistress actually has reason to complain.
As Radames, the object of Aida’s affection, tenor Franco Farina trod
the stage solidly. If he wasn’t a heroic hero, then at least he
wasn’t a silly one. His singing tried to be forceful but was too
often clotted.
Aida’s rival, Amneris, sung by the Russian mezzo-soprano Irina
Mishura, generated the most heat. She proved a compelling singer, her
voice often surprisingly light and supple. And she smartly played
Amneris less as a witch than as a powerful woman unwilling to be
denied her prerogatives.
Georgian baritone Lado Ataneli – as Aida’s father Amonasro – and
Armenian bass Arutjun Kotchinian – as the high priest Ramfis – also
sang impressively. Too bad director Vera Lucia Calabria didn’t know
what to do with them.
Making his company debut in the pit, Israeli conductor Dan Ettinger
showed promise. And though he could sometimes be fussy, his command
of the ballet music was pleasantly fresh. In a more pleasing staging,
his contributions might have had even more of an impact.
The Los Angeles Opera lays claim to several productions worth
reviving. But this one ought to share the fate of Aida and Radames
and be sealed in a tomb.
AIDA
Our rating:
Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.
When: 7:30 tonight, Wednesday and Feb. 10, 16 and 19; 2 p.m. Sunday
and Feb. 5 and 13.
Tickets: $25 to $190. (213) 972-8001.
In a nutshell: An indifferent revival of a disappointing production
undermines a Verdi masterpiece.