Aida

The worst being the 2012 Parma production as part of the "Tutto Verdi" series (the nadir of that series).

At least this 'Aida' has some good things musically, the only good performer was the Amonasro (though the Aida was quite decent too). Everything else pretty much was a failure. The musical values were very much variable in this 'Aida' though this said, but its main problem is that it is so dull and uninvolving in an opera full of grand spectacle and great emotional power.

'Aida' is one of Verdi's finest, with the music being some of his most powerful and beautiful while the story is thrilling and moving and the characters are interesting, especially Amneris.

While so much disappointed here, there are some good assets here. The best performers are Mark Doss and Orlin Anastassov. Doss is a physically imposing, terrifyingly ruthless and powerful Amonasro, still looking regal even in captivity. He is by far the most involved actor in the cast, and is very believable in the big Act 3 duet between him and Aida, the one scene where the drama came to life somewhat. He possesses a warmly produced voice that never sounds pushed or under-powered and he is also an intelligent and musical singer. Anastassov plays Ramfis with great dignity and some subtle menace, and some of the production's most consistently beautiful singing comes from him. The only strike against him is that he does look too young (he was only 28 or something at the time of the performance), some suspension of disbelief is needed to accept a High Priest looking so young here. Guido Jentjens is good as the King, though the role is small and not hugely memorable.

Orchestral playing is beautiful in tone, musical and energetic, though parts could have done with more dramatic power and intensity, "Triumphal Scene" and "Ciel Mio Padre" could have had much more welly. The chorus are not always well balanced with the women being a little more prominent than the men, but they sing beautifully, unfortunately they look uncomfortable with their very lifeless and weird direction. Kazushi Ono's conducting is swift and accommodating, as well as authoritative, though more space and intimacy might have been more welcome in places.

Elsewhere, the production underwhelms hugely. Norma Fantini sings with some richness, though quite a lot of her singing is shrieky and lacks subtlety and dynamic variety, "O Patria Mia" is just about competent but she sounds over-parted in "Ritorna Vincitor". There is not much sincerity or emotion in her acting, which is too stand-there-and-sing and as a result of Robert Wilson's direction she fares the worst of being oblivious to everyone else (also in no way is she believable as a slave girl). Ildiko Komlosi sings warmly though some of her low notes lose their power and creaminess, and dramatically she looks unmotivated and awkward, a big problem considering Amneris is the most interesting character in the opera. Worst of all is Marco Berti as Radames, his voice is unattractive and he strains, shouts and bellows through most of the performance, as usual he seems to only be able to sing at one dynamic which is forte and not in a pleasant way. Although Radames has proved to be problematic to act believably (by far the best-acted Radames is Domingo on the Met DVD), it is not the role that is the reason for Berti to look so passionless dramatically, Berti has almost always been a non-entity as an actor.

Visually, only the lighting is interesting or attractive. The sets are too sparse and stark and the over-stylised costumes look very cheap. What really brings down the production is Robert Wilson's stage direction, his minimalist approach proving to be a very ill-fit for 'Aida'. 'Aida' is a grand, dramatic and very emotionally charged opera, and Wilson manages to suck all the blood and meat out of it, don't mind different approaches usually but as long as it fits with the tone of the opera, which the direction here never does, and includes touches that don't contradict the libretto which is what happens here. The staging is not just dull and uninvolving here, at its worst it's stillborn and non-existent, most of the singers looking like they've risen from the dead often and chemistry and interaction is barely existent, seen only in glimpses in "Ciel Mio Padre". The choreography is risible, and the male dancers in "Dance of the Sacred Priestesses" will have one gasping in horror.

On DVD, the video directing is expansive and intimate and the picture quality is crystal clear. Sound quality is very unfocused, even on a high setting.

All in all, hugely disappointing, while there is one DVD production worse it would be hard to imagine a duller 'Aida' around. 3/10 Bethany Cox