Aida, the turquoise and lots of blue, and gold version Update 10/20

HGO honors Verdi's anniversary by reprising an AIDA of golden pomp and turquoise circumstances under the watchful eye of Horus :-), as envisioned by Zandra Rhodes, who IS responsible for design and costumes.

Which stunned years ago when premiered at HGO, and still does with this reprisal.  Only the singers are different, well almost all.

And if we think Aida we hear the Triumphal March from it's Act 1.
Amazingly, this opera. mostly known for its monumental scope, actually relies only on 3 major singers, Amneris, Radames and Aida. The other 3 soloists (Ramfis, Amonasro and the King) are just the icing on the cake. Dancers, huge chorus and super numbers could be seen as the whipped cream atop the whole confection :-). If one wants to see it that way.

The Amneris of Dolora Zajick will be remembered well by the HGO audience! If one believes in reincarnation, then one must believe Amneris to have come back as Zajick! She does own that role!! And is still a powerhouse on stage with her unique voice that can sound so seductive, yet still manages to threaten from the deep reaches of her chest!
Below her performance as Amneris at the Met in 2009:

The huge Chorus as usual well prepared and coached by Chorus Master Richard Bado, of acclaimed fame!

 

The masses on stage are filled out with non-singing supers, and Dominic Walsh Dancers who despite their costumes (as a friend remarked on the way home :Think "Cats") did rather well, although.. causing a few chuckles be same friend!

Liudmila Monastyrska As Aida delivered all that her critics promised. A powerful voice, that got better as the opera progressed and ended in fine softly delivered last song!

Riccardo Massi - Radames  here as Pollione from Norma, impressive in purple and gold, yup very impressive!! :-)

 

And he is equally impressive in turquoise (lol), a commanding present on stage with clarion sound, what more can one ask of a Radames. That he is a rather handsome man did him great service and the applause proved it, especially after Celeste Aida! We muts hope he will be asked back many times to sing us more Verdi!

Scott Hendricks, former HGO Studio member returns to the stage as Amonasro, the Ethiopian king, Despite the beggarly costume and half shaved (wig) head, Studio alumnus used his histrionic talent accompanied by stentorian singing to good avail. he still is as limber as we have seen him as Rigoletto.

Ain Anger, a new comer to HGO sings Priest Ramfis. He is a truly sonorous bass. The orangy (lol) pleated skirt of his priestly costume looked perfectly apropriate on his tall imposing figure, setting him apart from the other pleated skirted masses! I would not mind having him back, as well.

Bass Robert Gleadow is the Egyptian King, I am always a bit surprised when I hear such deep and yet, mellow, voices issue from slender men! This deep sound ought to burst forth from a  much bigger chest, right? Well, Gleadow, bass baritone, who has been here previously, did not disappoint and is am impressive King!

HGO Studio member Natalya Romaniw as priestess, sings beautifully from backstage or side stage.
And the Messenger is sung acceptably by Kevin Rayn. 

Maestro Antonino Fogliani conducts with enthusiasm and - I perceive -  real admiration for Verdi's monumental opera. And this was just the final dress rehearsal, when sometimes singers conserve their voices, which this cast seemingly had no need to do!
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Sunday evening:
The big surprise this afternoon was TENOR ISSACHAH SAVAGE as Radames who will sing the role again November 1.  I was quite beguiled by this more lyrical voice than Massi. A real buttery voice, IMO. So if you can go on November 1!

The other event:
Dolara Zajic announced she has a cold, but would sing anyway.
AND SHE DID!
The consummate professional she truly gave her best.
From a cold I, and several others, could not 'hear or see' a sign!

A Smattering of Crosses

Houston Grand Opera's 5 acter DON CARLOS sung in the long original (1887 ? version) French, boasts crosses. Lots of them.
Black ones, small ones,  big ones!
Red ones, and red ones glowing ominously in the dark.

Stark, dark, ominous and threatening.
Fitting sets to the dark, ominous and strong music Verdi composed for this tragedy in 5 acts set during the deepest gloom in Spanish history- the inquisition after a play by Schiller.
The most glorious voices were assembled as cast.
From Soprano Tamara Wilson's silvery yet big voiced Elisabeth to the deepest male voices.
Yes, the basses were upfront on stage here.
From the veteran Samuel Ramey as the Grand Inquisitor who trumps everyone and everything singing gravelly with power (at age 70 yet); via Oren Gradus, a truly sepulchral spirit of Charles V; and Andrea Silvistrelli as Philippe II, the tortured father and anguished husband of Elisabeth, who was originally slated to be his own son's fiancee, to the lighter voiced Boris Dyakov, as always so elegant, as Count Lerme.

The baritones did not stay far behind.
The dramatically sung and especially acted Marquis Posa of Scott Hendricks was  rather emotional to behold. Mark Diamond's Forester showcased his fresh baritone voice in this cameo role.

But the glory of the show went, without hesitations to the 3 main characters.
Soprano Wilson, a regal and yet very sympathetic Elisabeth, trying to uphold her vows.
Christine Goerke,  as Countess Eboli, embodied unrequited love scorned and turned to vicious hatred with a powerful mezzo. But was equally believable in her solo O don fatale, bemoaning her fatal beauty and atoning for her misdeeds.

And Brandon Jovanovich  as Don Carlos used his amazingly big ringing tenor voice to portray love, desire, desperation, resolution and friendship. And his good looks did not hurt at all. He was undoubtedly easily accepted as the love interest of 2 beautiful and powerful women, plus the inspiration of devotion by his best friend.

In other cameos we heard the fine soprano Brittany Wheeler as celestial voice, soprano Lauren Snouffer in the travesty role of Thibault, page ot Elisabeth, Scott Quinn as King's Herald and Judith Irvington as Countess Aremberg.
The HGO orchestra was led by Maestro Summers with sensitivity, while  Chorus Master Bado, as usual, had the HGO chorus singing uniformly with beauty.

Direction by John Caird who placed singers well on stage easily viewed from most seats in the house, (sitting on side orchestra I can attest to that). The set of crosses in all forms and colors was by Johan Engels, well highlighted by lighting designer Levings. Choreography by Sayers.

And now I come to the crux (truly cross to bear, IMO) of the matter:
 the costuming by Oberle!
A terrible mish mash of traditional, modernized (but from which decades?) customes. costumes.
The chorus women's royal blues in various shades at least were becoming.
Elisabeth's dresses were y demonstrative of her role as innocent princess and later wronged queen.
Eboli's simply did not convey the countess's implied (O don fatale! remember) attraction. Oh my, that insipid pink at first.
Later the deeply decolletage'd black lace (a midi-skirted fifties look?) did give perhaps a slight hint of a night of debauchery with the King!

But the men's.
Deliver me from the men's.
From Don Carlos' first appearance in a semblance of Raiders of the Lost Ark get up, to his later costume reminiscent of Pontevedrian counts, with perhaps a soupcon of Mikado thrown in; to the gangster (not gangsta - thank heavens) look complete with black fedoras of the male court, and finally the black stormtrooper looks of the jailers and guards, IMO caused hysterical rather than sinister impressions and seemed, to me, without rhyme nor reason.

Oh, I should not forget the red "Ku Klux clannishly" (:-) clad inquisition executioners. While the Grand Inquisitor was cardinally (lol) dressed simply in black with purple sash and scull cap.

The production by HGO is worth going to, just to the hear the original opera composed by Verdi for the French in the French language (later it was translated into multiple versions, shortened, and re-shortened LOL into Italian which IMO sounds more suited to Verdian Music). But the singers overall did a magnificent job singing en Francais, in French that was actually understood rather well by those in the audience who have knowledge of that tongue, moi included!

Bel Canto Purissimo

YES, indeed.

Pure Beautiful Singing!
Nothing to distract from it. 
No cluttered stage and scenery.
No glaringly colored costumes. No 'busy, busy' hyper activity.

Instead you get a stage in grey on grey with grey.
A set of guillotine like triangles suspended in grey cloud shades in the first act.
Evocative of looming castles of grey granite, misty lands and stark forbidding lochs, perhaps? Add a few chairs.
And a refectory banquet table albeit covered in large white cloth, 
which becomes a major part of the scene in Act 3 and you have the settings!

Almost forgot, occasionally a 'wall' descends like a ponderous curtain, naturally in grey with grey, from the rafters. And on such 'walls' , thanks to well placed lightning (by Jane Cox),  shadows of the soloists are cast like dooming portends, borrowing from Balinese Shadow Puppet plays, perhaps? Direction by the Scot John Doyle.

Costumes are dark grey, highlighted in black, dark navy blue.
Customes and set by Liz Ashcroft.
Chorus women with Gibson Girl hairdos, in dresses seemingly from the 1900's marching slowly across and in between.The occasional baroque patterned vests for the principal male singers, as may have been worn in the 1700's with  Mozartean ponytails. In burnt orange to brown, highlighted by a dash of white. 
Lucia's dress in muted reds in the first act and her wedding gown and night gown in bright beiges with white. Not to forget the spatters of blood on the latter.

BUT THE singing!
AND THE singing!
A glorious feast for the ears-Ohrenschmaus par excellence.
A return to what opera used to be and, perhaps, be again?
Glorious singing by beautiful and expressive voices - I like, I like! 

Provided by Albina Shagimuratova(*) as Lucia, tossing off high notes with utter ease,
spinning out phrases so long we are beginning to think she has NO need to breathe.
What a duet with the flute during her mad scene! Shimmering notes taking flight, softly at times, forcefully at others, always with great beauty.
A spellbound audience sits mesmerized in utter silence.
One could have heard the proverbial pin drop...if there had been one!

Just a soupcon for your listening pleasure - Shagimuratova tosses off The Queen of Night's aria with consumate ease!
Let's hope she will soon be heard on CD/DVD .. her voice IS so good!


Dimitri Pittas as Edgardo delivers. And how he delivers!
His dramatic talent shines as he gives fresh meaning to the lover betrayed, with his brightly ringing and, yet,warm tenor. 
here a bit from his MET appearance as MacDuff!


Scott Hendrick's(*) Enrico, as the overbearing brother uses his baritone and histrionic talents to good avail.
And he casts a threatening shadow, too.. see above description ;-)!

 Here a sip for you: he is Silvio in Pagliacci (with Futral as Nedda)

(In an aside: the pairing of Hendricks and Shagimuratova is a repeat casting-they were, in a previous incarnation, the fool Rigoletto and his daughter Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto-when chairs also played a large role in the staging of the father/daughter scene).

Beau Gibson (*) (did that inspire the ladies' hairdo-:-)?), is a sneaky, sly-boots Normanno, the instigator of doom, a "Iago of Lammermoor"  (so to speak but this time a tenor, the Iago of Otello is a baritone) who prowled the stage endlessly, insinuating, observing, tattletaleing!

Bass Oren Gradus (*) lends his deep booming voice to Raimondo, the priest, who persuades Lucia to obey her brother, then, IMO, becomes turncoat and accuses Enrico as the cause of Lucia's madness and death.

The cameo role of Arturo, the rich suitor and projected savior of the Lammermoors,is sung with lyrical beauty by Tenor Nathaniel Peake, who also looks rather dishy in his attire, the brightest colors on stage.

Rachel Willis-Sorenson is a rather youthful Alisa. attendant to Lucia, but well cast with her sure sounding Mezzo.
Maestro Antonino Folgiani, after an inital slow paced start, conducted with fervor and verve. Singing right along the principals!

Now if you only are awed by overpowering stage sets and super active direction..
well, do sit back, close your eyes tightly, open your ears wide and let the beautiful sounds in.  Your soul will be stirred and transported. Just have an ambulance standing by as happened last night!  (Was someone so overcome by the emotions of the Bel Canto to have fainted ?)

The male chorus and supers carrying poles (not a spear in sight here)  in cutaway like suits, grey and black, moves to and fro, ebbing and surging, weaving and webbing.
All in a stately manner as befittting dour Scots copying a Greek Chorus of doom.
It IS a gloomy, tragic opera, thus the gloom and doom of set and costumes is only too fitting.
BTW all singers, except Pittas are HGOpera Studio artists, curent or alumni (*)

Oh Canada..temp home

 for 2 HGO Studio alumni: Jill Grove as Amneris and Scott Hendricks as Amonasro in Canadian Opera Company's AIDA.
"Sondra Radvanovsky, in her Canadian Opera Company debut, triumphs over director Tim Albery’s misbegotten production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, one of the grandest of grand 19th-century operas. 
Radvanovsky is a dramatical  force of nature despite being dressed as dowdy modern-day cleaning woman, complete with chronically aching back and unwashed hair. This presentation’s saving graces were first-rate singing and a stirring, richly textured reading of the score, vibrantly rendered by the COC Orchestra under its music director, Johannes Debus.Tenor Rosario La Spina sounded strong as Radames in his COC debut, without alas little chemistry between him and his beloved Aida. Mezzo Jill Grove, also in a COC debut, was impressive as Egyptian princess Amneris.Other strong performances belong to basses Phillip Ens as Ramfis and Alain Coulombe's  King of Egypt.The vocal and dramatic sparks really flew when Scott Hendricks as Aida’s father Amonasro sang with a rich sound."
Albery’s staging, designer Hildegard Bechtler’s drab, fussy (why all those boxes?) set, Thomas C. Hase’s murky even moody lighting as well as director Albery’s unquenching penchant to add subtext and something meta-theatrical, were definitely thought to be a huge drawback.

Why do so many 'modern' productions try to out-do others in psycho babble?
It is a mystery to me.
By all means be less lavish if you will,
be reasonably modern in sets and costumes,
but spare me the 'psychological justifications' of directors who see operas as social and/or educational tools to 'edify' the music loving audience, who - let me perfectly clear -probably could care less than tuppence about that.. just let the singers shine, let the music swell, and let our ears and eyes drink in the glory THAT IS opera. 
 AIDA was the very FIRST opera I saw (standing room only) at Vienna Staatsoper at the 'curious about opera age' of 13 and have been hooked on opera ever since!

and with Grove as Amneris

BUT, BUT  - the Costumes by Jon Morrell: well, judge for yourselves: all photos AP - COC Michael Cooper.S. Radvanosvky with Hendricks  









And to remind you what a splendid production of AIDA could look like, enjoy this scene -Triumph March