Ellynne spends a night at the opera Posted by TBN Editor On 04/05/2017 New York, NY - Last week, a friend from Baltimore had two free tickets to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City to see a production of Verdi’s Aida, a Romantic opera in four acts, conducted by Daniele Rustioni. She (the friend) would be driving. Would I join her?—In a New York minute! Surely there would be a live elephant onstage during the famous Triumphal March in Act II and I could hardly wait to see it. And of course, I was looking forward to hearing beautiful singing as the pageantry of the story unfolded. And so we travelled through rain and wind and tunnel rush-hour backed-up traffic on a rainy, windy, Friday afternoon to Lincoln Center. We managed to slip into our balcony seats just in the nick of time for the 7:30 p.m. curtain. Verdi was commissioned to write Aida by the Khedive of Egypt (known as “Ismail the Magnificent”) as part of celebrations to mark the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Delays prevented Aida from being performed at the Cairo Opera House that year, so the Cairo world premiere was postponed until December 24, 1871 (Verdi did not attend). The European premiere occurred at Milan’s La Scala Opera House in 1872 with Verdi himself conducting. Verdi also conducted the first Parisian performance in 1880. Aida debuted at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1886 and was sung in German. Co-librettists were Verdi’s Parisian friend Camille du Locle (who first brought Verdi’s attention to the story idea that led to Aida) and Italian librettist Ghislanzoni. Famous sopranos who have sung the role of Aida at the Met include Emmy Destinn, Zinka Milanov, Elisabeth Rethberg, and Leontyne Price. Enrico Caruso sang the role of Radames 91 times at the Met between 1903 and 1919. The tragic plot (a love triangle that ends in a pyramid) includes these principal characters: Aida (soprano), an Ethiopian slave in the Egyptian court; Radames (tenor), her lover and the army’s hero; Amonasro (baritone), her father, the King of Ethiopia; Amneris (mezzo-soprano) the Pharaoh’s daughter; Ramfis, the High Priest; and the King of Egypt (bass). There are male and female choruses of priests and priestesses and a corps de ballet plus many supernumeraries filling the roles of soldiers, courtiers, citizens and captives. Imagine how excited I was to find in the program the name of an old high school friend, bass-baritone James Morris, appearing that night as Ramfis. James and I both attended Towson High School in Baltimore (he and my younger sister were in the same graduation class), and he attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music for a time while I was there. He debuted at the Met in 1971 and went on to a stellar world-renown career, appearing in all of the world’s leading opera houses and with major orchestras throughout Europe and the U.S. Verdi was attracted to the opportunities of utilizing new orchestral colors for this opera, evidenced from the very first soft sounds played by the violins in the Prelude to create atmosphere. We hear reflected in the orchestra’s colors Aida’s loving nature, her despair, and homesickness (“Patria Mia”) and her father Amanosro’s rage and anger. The tenor Jorge de Leon as Radames thrillingly displayed his soaring high notes in the vocally demanding first aria right at the start of Act I (“Celeste Aida”), and the mezzo-soprano Amneris, a complex and powerful woman, sang of her anguish as she sobbed (“Numi, Pieta”), pleading with the gods to spare Ramades’ life. Ramfis (James Morris) and his priests sang chant-like melodies in praise of the god Ptha. Verdi’s expanded orchestra includes six “Egyptian” trumpets, a military banda, and a tomb scene ensemble of four trumpets, four trombones and a bass drum. The singing throughout by soloists and chorus was glorious and flawless, sustaining the Met’s reputation for showcasing the best of the best. I especially admired the voice of Krassimira Stoyanova in the title role with its shimmering portamentos and pianissimo shadings, which conveyed every facet of her character’s emotions. As Amneris, Violeta Urmana was a truly amazing singer-actress; her bio states that she has also performed the role of Aida at the Met. Each principal could be heard clearly in the cavernous hall including during those scenes which required offstage solos. The spectacle of the staging and costumes certainly had the “wow” factor. Massive sets raised and lowered silently to encompass temples, royal palaces, pyramids, stone pillars, and tombs for the huge ceremonial scenes while also shifting seamlessly to effectively frame the more intimate moments. I was familiar with the synopsis of the opera ahead of time, but nothing had prepared me to see this story brought so vividly to life onstage. Aided by supertitles I was able to focus on the depth of each character’s emotions and conflicts. Set in the palace at Memphis in ancient Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs, Ramfis (the sonorous-voiced and commanding James Morris) informs Radames (tenor Jorge de Leon )that the warriors of Ethiopia are about to mount an attack. Radames is in charge of the Egyptian army and is in love with the Ethiopian slave Aida (Krassimira Stoyanova)who is treated like a sister by the King’s daughter, Amneris (Violeta Urmana). He thinks that if he is victorious in battle, he would be able to set Aida free and have her for his wife. Amneris suspects the true feelings between Radames and Aida and becomes insanely jealous; she desires to marry Radames herself. Act I, Scene 2 was meticulously choreographed in the Temple of Ptah while the priestesses sang (“O Mighty Ptah”), looking as if they were themselves a striking painting on a temple wall. After Egypt has defeated the Ethiopians, Radames is declared the conquering hero. During the Triumphal March of Act II, the grandest moment of the opera, Ethiopian captives are brought before the priests; among them is Aida’s father, Amonasro (George Gagnidze, convincing both vocally and dramatically as King) who begs for the release of his people while at the same time hiding his true identity as King. His request is granted, although he and his daughter Aida are to remain as hostages, and Amneris is promised to Radames to wed as part of his reward. (Alas, there was no elephant onstage, likely due to the animal rights activists’ efforts, but there were four horses. Well, actually, there were in fact probably only two horses which pranced in at the beginning of the March and then were recycled and re-costumed to re-appear at the end of the March after the captives and treasures - including several elephant’s tusks - had been presented to the Pharaoh, and a corps de ballet had provided exotic entertainment. At night, Aida waits secretly outside of a temple while Amneris and the High Priest Ramfis pray inside on the eve of her wedding. King Amonasro approaches and asks his daughter to learn the route the Egyptian army will take to counter another attack from the Ethiopians; Aida refuses. When Radames enters, the lovers try to imagine a life together but they realize this will never be possible. Radames inadvertently reveals the road his army will travel . Amonasro, who has remained out of sight since Radames’ arrival – overhears this critical piece of information. Radames is devastated at having betrayed his country. Ramfis and Amneris come out of the temple; Radames surrenders to them while Aida and her father escape. Amneris offers to have Radames’ life spared if he will renounce Aida and marry her, singing “Ah! tu dei vivere” – one of the most haunting and beautiful arias ever written for a mezzo soprano- but he will not agree to this. He is condemned by the priests to be buried alive in a tomb. Although Amneris has condemned him as well, she now has regrets but cannot change the priests’ decision. Aida has hidden herself within the tomb to die with Radames. While they express their love in the tomb below ( “O terra, addio”) as they wait for death together, Amneris prays in the temple above (“Finale: O Mighty Ptha”). Conductor Daniele Rustioni seemed to be a favorite with the audience. The cast also included Morris Robinson as The King of Egypt, Ronald Naldi as a Messenger, Jennifer Johnson Cano as a Priestess, and solo dancers Jennifer Gadden and Scott Weber. What a glittery night in New York City! This was my very first opportunity to see an opera at the Met, and I was certainly not disappointed! Driving out of the city in the rain, we drove up to Times Square before turning right to pass both the Barrymore Theatre and the theatre where Waitress, starring Sara Bareilles is playing. Page 1 Copyright © 2021 thebaynet.com. All rights reserved. Page 2.