Review Roundup: Verdi's AIDA at the Metropolitan Opera

Verdi's Egyptian tragedy Aida, returned to the Met stage October 30 for a 16-performance revival with rotating casts of acclaimed artists and rising stars. The initial performances will star Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska, who made a notable Met debut in the role in 2012, as Aida; Olga Borodina in one of her best-known portrayals as the jealous princess Amneris; Marcello Giordani as the war hero Radamès, a role he first sang at the Met in 2012; Željko Lu?i? in his first-ever Met performances as Amonasro, Aida's father; Ukrainian bass Dmitri Belosselskiy in his Met role debut as the high priest Ramfis; and American bass Soloman Howard in his Met debut as the King. Italian tenor Antonello Palombi will make his Met debut as Radamès on November 22.

Let's see what the critics had to say:

Zachary Woolfe of The NY Times: Most impressive at the Met were the two basses in the smallest of the major roles. As the high priest Ramfis, Dmitry Belosselskiy unleashed power, but with a smoky roundness to his tone; his voice was never merely loud. Making his company debut as the king of Egypt, Soloman Howard was ideally stentorian and steady... Little fire came from the central players. Zeljko Lucic, fresh from the title role of Verdi's "Macbeth," has an airy baritone a few sizes too light for Amonasro, Aida's father, and he had a restless physical presence that worked in "Macbeth" but felt unfocused here. While Marcello Giordani's voice dissolved in the middle, the top of his tenor was secure as Radames: bronzed yet liquid. But he carried himself onstage with grim efficiency, as if looking forward to leaving.

Stephen Raskauskas, of Bachtrack.com: Mezzo soprano Olga Borodina, as jealous princess Amneris, was the most exciting performer in the current cast of the Met's Aida. Borodina, with her lush tone and commanding dramatic presence, was not only my favorite performer during Thursday's performance. She, like Netrebko in Macbeth, has made me more interested in revisiting canonic works by Verdi more frequently. Especially exquisite was Borodina's performance of the Act IV duet "Già i sacerdoti adunansi" (Already the priests assemble), since her mellow mezzo-soprano blended perfectly with the clarinet obbligato. Borodina was arresting in her Act II scene, "Fu la sorte dell'armi a' tuoi funesta"(The battle's fate was fatal for your people), when she confronts Aida, her slave, about her relationship with Radamès, whom she also loves.

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