Which brings me to the puzzling use of children’s dances. In fairness to Lang, the dances were diminished by the persistent use of fog effects in the temple scene, not to mention the busy backdrops that distracted from the dancers. More Nijinsky and less Petipa would have been an improvement. The generic steps for the triumphal scene would have been at home in a town square in Coppélia or at a folk dance in the Carpathian Mountains. Unfortunately, her dances were a disappointment: traditionally classical and at odds with the modernist setting. Alaysha Fox was a shining presence as Priestess, and Anthony Ciaramitaro sang the role of the messenger with a sweet-voiced tenor.īallet is an expected part of any performance of Aida, and it seemed an interesting choice to use Jessica Lang, a noted choreographer. Morris Robinson, with his rich bass, was every inch the commanding priest, Ramfis – nowhere was he more chilling than when he intoned ‘Radames, Radames, Radames…Defend yourself!’ Bass Peixin Chen was a worthy and stately King of Egypt. George Gagnidze was a virile and single-minded Amonasro. Latonia Moore (Aida) and Russell Thomas (Radames) © Cory WeaverĪ cast of stellar singers inhabited the remaining roles. Musically and dramatically, this production offered a convincing love triangle. As did Shakespeare and Elliot, Verdi found the humanity behind the masks of his characters.
She exemplified Verdi’s unique ability to sympathize with his characters: although a reigning princess, she too is a victim of her passions. Regal, spiteful, yet deeply in love with Radames, Moore brought the tortured character of Amneris to life. Of particular note was Melody Moore’s Amneris. In time, her voice mellowed in the subtle sections, culminating in the beautiful and eloquent ‘O, terra, addio’. It was only early in Act I that she lacked conviction in the quieter passages, particularly in the lower range. This was distinctly in evidence in his duets with Latonia Moore who was a riveting Aida, able to project her dramatic soprano over the orchestra and chorus: hers is a gale force instrument. With effortless singing that was rich in color, Thomas has the ability to tap deep reserves of humanity in both his voice and presence. Russell Thomas, Artist in Residence at LAO, brought his honeyed tenor to the role of Radames. Under the baton of James Conlon, a preeminent Verdi conductor, the diverse musical structure of Aida with its divine amalgam of moods and textures was brilliantly realized. While the set did little to focus the action, the magnificent cast and the Los Angeles Opera Chorus and Orchestra centered the drama with force, precision and lyrical magic. Set in a vague time and place, Michael Yeargan’s conception, as realized by artist RETNA (Marquis Duriel Lewis), was a pleasing jumble of pseudo hieroglyphs, strikingly lit by Mark McCullough. In Francesca Zambello’s staging of Aida, Verdi’s setting of a Europeanized imperial Egypt is replaced by a graphically confused though handsome backdrop of brushstrokes referencing an unknown alphabet. (JRo) Verdi’s Aida at the LA Opera © Cory WeaverĪrtistic designer – RETNA (Marquis Duriel Lewis) United States Verdi, Aida: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of LA Opera / James Conlon (conductor).
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