Verdi - Aida / Downes, Studer, O'Neill, Royal Opera Covent Garden

Amazon.com

No, this is not the Broadway hit, but the original Verdi masterpiece, staged and performed to a fare-thee-well by an extraordinary cast in this 1994 Royal Opera production. Cheryl Studer shows why she was one of America's leading sopranos in the late 1980s and early '90s before bowing out because of overwork and strain. Her Aida is touching, proud, defiant--in short, the quintessential Verdi heroine. Her Radames, Dennis O'Neill, is only adequate, which puts both Aida and her rival Amneris (Luciana d'Intino in a forceful portrayal) at odds over seemingly nothing. The Royal Opera Chorus performs Verdi's glorious choral moments brilliantly, and the Royal Opera House Orchestra, under Edward Downes, gives a solid, vigorous account of one of Verdi's most shimmering scores. Elijah Moshinsky's staging abounds in many clever touches, and the sets and costumes are evocative without being too elaborately overwhelming. --Kevin Filipski

Customer Reviews:

Impressive production and singing.......2006-10-08

I never thought that Cheryl Studer could pull off Aida. But she does. She sings with her usual committment vocally and the audience love her. The staging is impressive and the chorus and orchestra under Edward Downes add to the production. The remainder of the cast perform excellently.

TERRIBLE!!!.......2005-06-21

Singing isn't all that great, but it was probably the best part of this production. The conducting was bad, the acting was bad, the staging was bad...I think you get the clue. I couldn't watch it all in one sitting. I had to stop after the first act and watch the rest later. Poor Verdi, he'd be rolling in his grave if he knew these terrible musicians had ruined his art!

wooden production.......2005-03-05

Very disappointing production. The singing was OK but the staging and acting very less successful than other productions of Aida that I have seen

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