Review: AIDA and the Temple of Doom Comes to the Met with Angel Blue

Someone at the Met should have been giving out flu shots (before RFK Junior makes them illegal), because something is obviously going around the cast of the new AIDA. They should have handed out a scorecard to help the audience keep track of who-was-who.

While soprano Angel Blue in the title role seemed unaffected, and found the role worthy of her talents, tenor Piotr Beczala as her love interest, Radames, had a tough time at the opening on New Year’s Eve, and was out for the following two (at least) performances. He was ably replaced by SeokJong Baek, who brought his appealing tenor and demeanor to the role. (Bass Dmitri Belosselskiy as the high priest Ramfis, was also MIA, replaced by bass Morris Robinson, who was replaced as the Egyptian king by Harold Wilson.)

Not too long ago, I reviewed a production of Bizet’s PEARL FISHERS at Barcelona’s Liceu opera, tarted up to resemble the reality show “Survivor,” with disheartening results. While I wouldn’t put the Met’s new production of AIDA—which originally took place in ancient Egypt, in the time of the pharaohs--the brainchild of director Michael Mayer, quite in the same category, it does hearken back to the INDIANA JONES movies and modern remake of THE MUMMY, with its incorporation of modern Egyptologists, to make it, I suppose, palatable to younger, modern audiences.

If they were going to do that, they should have tried harder to meld the movies and the opera, because the results were never less than confusing.

Mayer has already had one failure this season, on Broadway, with “Swept Away,” and did better with the opera’s famed Triumphal March (without any zoo-sized animals to clean up after), than he did with some of the other action. His greatest contribution: keeping the opera to a single intermission.

I’m not sure what function Stephen Pickover “assisted” on as Production Consultant, though there were plenty of troops and priests to keep moving. I found the choreography by Oleg Glushkov below par and the male dancers’ movements, in particular, often silly.

Originally planned for Anna Netrebko (before she became persona non grata at the Met), the title star of this production was soprano Blue, who had a fine evening, even when the production fought the intentions of the composer and librettist (Verdi, of course, wrote the music, Antonio Ghislanzoni, the words). This is far from a one woman show, however. Besides tenor Baek, who seamlessly slid into his role as Radames, captain of the Egyptian army and love interest, there was baritone Quinn Kelsey, as Amonasro (Aida’s father), who found also the music (and part) a good fit for his big, dramatic voice.

The other leads found their roles less salubrious. I’m not sure what to say about mezzo Judit Kutasi in the key role of Amneris, the Egyptian princess; a good actress, who was an expert foil as rival with Aida for the affections of Radames, vocally, things were sometimes a little rough-going for her. I found the same true of bass Robinson, though he should be afforded some slack as a replacement. Bass Wilson was better as the King and soprano Amanda Batista sounded sweet in her Met debut role as the Priestess.

As for the scenic design, by Christine Jones with Kevin Adams’s lighting and projections by 59, I can’t imagine this production having the long life (still looking good at 36!) and audience appeal of the Sonja Frisell-Gianni Quaranta version that preceded it. The costumes were by Susan Hilferty.

Verdi wrote the opera to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, though it didn’t actually have its premiere, in Cairo, until 1871 and, a year later, at La Scala in Milan, where it was a popular hit with audiences, if not critics, who didn’t like the “influences” of Wagner, Meyerbeer and Gounod on Verdi’s score. (You know how critics are!)

It incorporates some of Verdi’s most memorable music, including such arias as “Celeste Aida,” “Ritorno vincitor” and “O patria mia,” as well as the aforementioned Triumphal March and the Act IV music for the High Priest and his underlings. Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin and the Met orchestra did the composer proud, as did the Met chorus under Donald Palumbo.

AIDA will be shown on January 25 at 12:30pm ET at cinemas worldwide as part of the Met in HD series. It will be performed at the opera house, with a variety of casts through May 9. See the Met’s website for more information and tickets.

Photo caption: Angel Blue in the title role of AIDA

Photo credit: Paola Kudacki/The Met

To post a comment, you must register and login.