Verdi: Aida [Blu-ray]

This La Scala production was promoted as the "new" version of the great 1989 Emmy-winning "Aida" from The Met. The La Scala production has much to recommend it: fine singing from Violeta Urmana as Aida and Ildiko Komlosi as Amneris; beautiful performances by the two featured dancers in the ballet (Verdi wrote great ballet music here); lively and nuanced conducting by Ricardo Chailly; and the full-bodied, spirited sound of the La Scala chorus. These are the five-star features of the production.But I've just spent (too much) time watching the Beijing Olympics and so, with gymnastics and diving judges as my new role models, it's time to start taking deductions. Roberto Alagna never looks comfortable as Radames. At first, I thought he was just physically uncomfortable in his armor-laden costume. But, in the end, he's really a lyric tenor and this role shouldn't be in his repertoire. The only time he truly shines is in the Tomb Scene where his lyricism can soar; that's a long time for the viewer to wait for a performer to show his stuff! This must have been filmed on opening night because it was during the second performance that Alagna walked off stage minutes into the opera, after being booed at the end of "Celeste Aida" (which he sings poorly here too - hitting several sour notes). His untimely exit is well-documented on You-Tube wherein Ildiko Komlosi, in her regal Egyptian costume, walks onto an empty stage, looks confused but is soon joined by a guy in jeans and a leather jacket (Alagna's understudy) who walks out and immediately starts singing to her."Aida" is Grand Opera but only works if the spectacle shares equal billing with the intimate, tragic tale it tells of forbidden love. This production falls short here too because, as good as the singing of the two principal women is, their acting is too wooden. With the exception of Urmana's moving rendition of "O patria mia," none of the leads ever become flesh and blood characters to me.The stage does indeed have the look of a spectacle. It is filled with ancient Egyptian looking statues and decorations, but I thought they looked cheap, not elegant. If you want to see beautiful sets in an "Aida" production, get the DVD of the 2003 Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona production that features trompe-d'oeil sets painted on paper by Josep Mestres Cabanes for a production of "Aida" in 1945. Almost 60 years later, the sets were restored for the production. Seeing these paintings as sets is like being at a Catalonian art exhibit.Finally, as other reviewers have pointed out, the filming in this La Scala production is poorly conceived. I don't mind if the video director takes creative liberties and doesn't just point the camera at the stage. But here, Patrizia Carmine gets creative at all the wrong times. So, right in the middle of an aria, suddenly the face of the singer may be completely obscured by out-of-focus flowing cloth. Or, even worse, in the middle of a duet or a trio when you need to see the players interacting with each other, statues or other stage decorations may suddenly be superimposed right over their faces. It's extremely irritating not to be able to see the players at these crucial moments in the drama.Bottom line, I would recommend this "Aida" only for collectors or if the "five-star" elements I listed in the first paragraph appeal to you more than the "deductions" I've taken in the rest of the review.

If one is old enough, I am sure he or she would remember the first time the 'stereo' format in audio was introduced. They made it a point to separate the sound to such a degree that you got a silent hole in the middle of the room between the speakers.Similarly, the post production (video direction) people here thought that it is quite worthwhile to demonstrate the clarity of the blu ray format and blank out the opera at times, and distract you into watching the details on the walls, skirts, flags and the polish of the trumpets and so on. It served the purpose of sprinkling water on one's face just when one is about to doze off to a nice dream...As far as the opera goesAlagna is not impressive. He has to FORCE himself to sing loud and his voice becomes ear piercing and harsh rather than have a beautiful rounded tone when just about any other great singer of this opera, from Domingo upwards who tried the same. It becomes quite irritating and the vibratos kind of make the intonation either sharp or flat. He is just inadequate for this role.Urmana was just about adequate. Although she does not really become the star of the show, she has done far more justice to Aida than Alagna has to Radamez. Komlozi (Amneris) has sung her role quite well. The rest of the cast are quite alright, and do their parts quite well.Kudos to Riccardo Chaily. He really impresses along with the orchestra. The sound is just great, and the audio balancing and post production has been done rather impressively. He and the orchestra/chorus is the reason that I have given 3 stars for this production rather than 2.Zafirelli? I think he is getting a little old and his sense of what is grandiose is getting a little grander and therefore, rather gaudy. Remember what they did with the eastman color or technicolour in the movie 'South Pacific'? He kind of achieves this with this production.Would I have bought it if I had seen it before doing so? In all likelihood, NO.HOWEVER,one gets used to a bad smell too provided most of the other stuff is more or less OK. So what is immediately distracting pales a bit, and the overall beauty of the production with Chailly in command redeems it to an extent.

This is a review of the la Scala Aida directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and with Roberto Alagna, Myrna Kamara and Ildiko Komlosi. Roberto Alagna seemed adequate but only adequate as Ramedes; the other two less so. In fact I can find out very little about either, which suggests they are not operatic stars of the first rank. I suppose this was a recording of the first night, because according to Wikipedia the second night Alagna was booed and walked off the stage in a huff. If it was the first night that may account for some – but not all - of the production’s failings.The biggest problem was not the mediocre quality of the singers but the overkill with the spectacle, the blame for which must be laid firmly at the door of Zeffirelli. Opera is essentially a fusion of emotion and music, each heightening the effect of the other, and too much brash and gaudy showmanship gets in the way of the magic. One or two circus turns may not come amiss, but it seems that Zeffirelli just went spare. The stage is packed with ancient Egyptians, who wander round with their hands held in front of them like they were miming Tutankhamen in a game of charades, and on occasion batmen descend from the ceiling of the stage flapping their wings. The camera guys get their moment too, and for no apparent reason the stage sometimes dissolves into a psychedelic mishmash of colours as if one was tripping back in the 1960s. For what seemed to be hours virtually naked torsos cavorted to Verdi’s music and the wife and I sat on the edge of our seats waiting for the G-strings to snap (the director decided to give the triumphal march a miss and instead we had the bare writhing flesh). Plain silly. I fear that Zeffirelli in his dotage became convinced that he had to give Verdi the Cecil B. deMille treatment, and that la Scala recruited so many extras to ponce around in funny wigs and mini-skirts that they had no cash left over to afford decent singers.

I loved the whole thing. I have many Aida's but this was purism at its finest. I could never take too Aida being done in fatigues or other abominations. Without doubt the star here is the setting itself. Its incredible to think that these flat but beautifully painted paper screens were first created in the 1940's. As a purist I can really appreciate the perspective and artistry achieved. Pure attractive theatre! Also costumes are a delight of colour and an echo of ancient Egyptian art. Atmospheric lighting as one would expect made a beautiful theatrical experience. My late father was a Theatre stage chief electrician from 1952 until 1970 so I was brought up on theatre staging! Thoroughly delightful! Musically also near perfect although some of the sudden changes of tempo seamed a bit alien to what I was used to from other recordings. The main Characters had astounding voices as this beautiful masterpiece should have. The second act procession and ballet was complete and aslo brilliantly done. Everything was just so very perfect so I can thoroughly recommend.

An enjoyable production. I thought the orchestra played very well but I've heard it better sung. Hence just 4 stars

I found it very interesting the way the older , somewhat realistic, sets were used.An unusual and first class production.

delighted with customer service dvd a joy