Search - Verdi - Aida / Dessi, Armiliato, Fiorillo, Scandiuzzi, Palatchi, Pons, Martinez, Barcelona Opera on DVD

Taking everything into account, a superlative production, on

Bryan Leech | Melbourne, VIC, Australia | 06/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Readers might wonder why virtually all my reviews are 5-star. It is because usually I don't review anything I don't like

It is not considered the done thing to criticise another reviewer's comments, but to downgrade an opera production purely on the physical attributes of the performers is trivial in the extreme, and shows little understanding of the art form. I would recommend readers to refer back to the reviews of the earlier release of this performance on Opus Arte as an import, but is now under local distribution by Kultur.

Opera, to me, is the greatest of the performing arts. At one time opera was a vehicle primarily for a singer to display his/her vocal talents. But well before Aida, it had become a combination of performing arts - orchestra, soloists who needed to both sing well and also act through their singing as well as visually, and if the drama required it, a chorus that usually needed to act; and settings, costumes, possibly a ballet, etc all contributing to carrying the story. So the performance of an opera does not just need singers who can produce a beautiful sound; they must be able to sing dramatically to contribute to all the components that combine to make the stage production the composer was aiming for.

(If physical appearance was given too much importance, we would have been denied most of the stage performances of Sutherland, and we would rarely see Madama Butterfly, as Butterfly is in her teens and it is unlikely one would find a soprano of that age who could sing the role). Enough of these general comments, let me turn to this production.

Although I have only seen three live productions of Aida (none outstanding) I have seen quite a few on video or DVD, and considering all aspects of the performance, which is how a stage performance must be judged, this is the most satisfying version I have heard and seen - it is also one of the very few which is complete. Most readers will have some familiarity with the opera, so I will assume such familiarity.

Much has been said about the spectacular sets in the original import on Opus Arte (the Kultur release is just US distribution of the same Opus Arte product and so does not have the poor quality of many Kultur releases). I can only say that I have never seen settings, for any opera, that come close. Normally sets of this apparent extravagance and detail are only found in a movie studio. Costumes, lighting and video direction are of comparable standard. But despite my earlier comments, it is the performance that is of prime importance.

The cast has been well-chosen, their voices and dramatic talents matching and blending well. As is appropriate for Aida, intensely detailed histrionic acting is not as relevant as in some operas I could think of. For example, the chorus is used in the common European approach (now disappearing to a large degree) of marching on, forming a tableau and singing their contribution, then marching off when no longer needed. But this approach works well as it is a well-choreographed, integrated part of the entire production concept.

What of the soloists? Fabio Armilliato as Radames is faced with 'Celeste Aida' right near the start before he has had a chance to warm up. Consequently, he ends full voice, rather than the preferred whisper. But he has a very fine Italianate tenor voice, and carries his role well throughout the entire production. Daniela Dessi as Aida, and Elisabetta Fiorillo are both a little indefinite in pitch initially, both exhibiting a vibrato a little too wide for my taste. However, this improves quickly as their voices warm up; Aida's 'Ritorna vincitor!' works well as an example, and both give outstanding interpretations. The other soloists are uniformly excellent throughout their roles.

Of course, act two is dominated by the Triumphal sequence in scene 2. The transition between scenes leaves the viewer gasping, as does the entire scene. No elephants, but an enormous chorus (plus supernumeraries). And at this point I will take the opportunity to say that throughout the entire opera, the large orchestra (plus off-stage band) and the chorus are highly polished and could not noticeably be bettered. At a couple of spots the conductor makes some brief unexpected moves with tempi, but overall, shows an excellent grasp of the work and a matching control of his forces.

The release is divided over two DVDs; acts 1 and 2, then acts 3 and 4; which leads me to consider the opera in two halves. In the latter DVD, both female leads seem to be singing with a tighter control on their voices, as if they are fresher - the difference is only slight as they are both 'warmed up' well before the end of act 1, but it is significant as they each face their most demanding scenes in the 'second half', and it makes me think it was recorded on a different night. Verdi does indulge his three principals, and they each have ample opportunity to display their vocal and dramatic skills, although, in this production, the drama is primarily contained in the singing. The female leads both rise to the demands of long solos, with performances that are almost unbeatable, taking the visual aspect of the performances into consideration along with the vocal skills. The audience responds accordingly.

This is a long review, so I will round it off. There is great consistency in this production; all aspects combine superbly to give a performance that, considered in its totality, is really hard to beat. Technically, the eye is ravished not only by the incredible sets and costumes, but by a crisp image full of gorgeously rich color and 16:9 widescreen. The sound is DTS 5.1 at its best (justifying DVDs over the limited sound quality of CDs straight off) with full, rich, wide-range sound revealing an excellent balance between stage and pit.

This is a "must buy" for every lover of this opera. It is a presentation which I am certain would have brought great delight to Verdi. Even if you have a version where you have a preference for some of the singers, you should make this your second version. Don't let it pass you by."