REVIEW: AN ‘AIDA’ AT THE MET THAT MAY NOT BE ZEFFIRELLI’S, BUT IT’S BIG

By JAMES R. OESTREICHNOV.

Marco Berti and Liudmyla Monastyrska in “Aida.”CreditRichard Termine for The New York Times

To re-encounter “Aida” at the Metropolitan Opera in the 1988 production by Sonja Frisell is again to wonder what Franco Zeffirelli had proposed for his staging that made the Met shy away from the expense. For starters, perhaps, elephants as well as horses in this ancient Egyptian setting?

Certainly there is no lack of grandeur in Ms. Frisell’s budget model, which took the stage again on Saturday afternoon. Gianni Quaranta’s set design features statues whose mere visible extremities suggest dimensions that far exceed those of the proscenium.

Hundreds of performers (including four horses, two brass choirs, many choristers, a few dancers and countless supernumeraries) occupy or troop across the stage, which is expanded to multiple levels at times by use of the stage elevator. It takes a lot to make the vast Met stage feel crowded, as it often does here.

But not always. Occasionally lone figures or small groups hold forth as best they can amid such monumental scale.

The production needs singers with big voices and personalities to make much of an impact. The current cast, consisting almost entirely of veterans of the production, fares reasonably well.

The only newcomer is the Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova, as Amneris, the Egyptian princess, and she proved a standout on Saturday. She brought fiery life to the character and a rich, pliant tone to the music.

If she lacked anything, it was simply the power to be consistently heard over the leads, Marco Berti, as Radamès, the Egyptian warrior, and Liudmyla Monastyrska, as Aida, the enslaved Ethiopian princess and Amneris’s rival for the love of Radamès.

It did not help that Mr. Berti wielded his clarion tenor as a blunt instrument at times, especially in the early going. Nor did his acting rise much above the wooden and ordinary.

Ms. Monastyrska sang with a plush, strong soprano, which lost a bit of its luster in quiet moments. And she injected some emotion into her characterization.

The baritone Mark Delavan was affecting as Amonasro, Aida’s father, also held captive. The basses Dmitry Belosselskiy and Soloman Howard were imposing as Ramfis, the high priest, and the King.

But the real veteran of this production is Marco Armiliato, who was conducting it here for the 38th time. There seems reason to believe that he will pull things tightly together during the run. The vaunted Met orchestra and chorus were at slightly less than their best on Saturday, with a few slips in the brasses and slight disunity in a women’s choral number.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/07/arts/music/review-an-aida-at-the-met-that-may-not-be-zeffirellis-but-its-big.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2Fclassical-music-reviews