COC's production was best summed up as "Aida the cleaning lady". (Thanks Jill)
The singing was lovely, although I am not really someone who can tell. The staging was visually interesting in a stark, drab, Chinese communist way. The production kept my interest throughout. But it was definitely lacking in Egyptian flavour.
The biggest problem was that the "Triumphal March" (the only piece of Aida that I recognize, Philistine that I am! ) was barely a moment in the production. It is hard to have a triumphal march into an office building conference room!
I would certainly go to the opera again, but I would still rather spend my money on the theatre!
I do not have a lot to add to Cathy's comments.
ReplyDeleteI thought the singing was generally good and Aida (Michele Capalbo) excellent.
However, most of the music in Aida is not a standout for me; like Cathy, the Triumphal March - I don't know its real name - is the only thing I recognize.
In any case, if you want the music, iTunes awaits; if you go out to the opera you presumably expect spectacle to accompany the music. Verdi got this, so he picked a story set in the grandeur of ancient Egypt.
What does Tim Albery do in this version? Sets it in soviet style office building with cleaning ladies - livened up by gyrating priestesses under red lights and behind glass who looked like prostitutes in an Amsterdam window!
COC waited 25 years for this staging?