November 2, 2013: Aida in Paris

2013-11-02 Aida (Verdi), Opera National de Paris (Opera Bastille)

The King = Carlo Cigni
Amneris = Luciana D’intino
Aida = Oksana Dyka
Radamès = Marcelo Alvarez
Ramfis = Roberto Scandiuzzi
Amonasro = Sergey Murzaev
A messenger = Oleksiy Palchykov
High Priestess = Elodie Hache

Philippe Jordan, conductor

Stage director - Olivier Py
Sets and costumes - Pierre-André Weitz
Lighting - Bertrand Killy
Chorus master - Patrick Marie Aubert

"Commissioned to celebrate concord between the nations, Aida is essentially about conflict. Hieratic and flamboyant, spectacular and introspective, Verdi's masterpiece returns to the Paris Opera after an absence of more than half a century."

Philippe JordanConductor
Olivier PyStage director
Pierre-André WeitzSets and costumes
Bertrand KillyLighting
Patrick Marie AubertChorus master
Carlo Cigni Il Re
Luciana D’intino (A) ⁄Elena Bocharova (B) Amneris
Oksana Dyka (A) ⁄ Lucrezia Garcia (B) Aida
Marcelo Alvarez (A) ⁄ Robert Dean Smith (B) Radamès
Roberto Scandiuzzi  (10, 12, 15, 20, 29 oct., 2, 6, 9, 12, 14 et 16 nov.) / Alexei Botnarciuc (25 oct.) Ramfis
Sergey Murzaev Amonasro
Elodie Hache Sacerdotessa

Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus


(A) 10, 15, 25 OCTOBER, 2, 9, 14 NOVEMBER
(B) 12, 20, 29 OCTOBER, 6, 12, 16 NOVEMBER

So Opera Bastille and Marcelo Alvarez as Radames in Verdi's AIDA. The sets was in gold. The costumes was black or golden or camouflage. We all know that Verdi was an Italian patriot and that his name was used to say discreetly that they wanted Vittorio Emanuele Re D'Italia. Etiopia became Italy, and Egypt became Austria and that did not make sense here. The director improvements of Aida was distractions and in bad taste.

The singing was glorious, the conductor magnificent. I was happy in the beginning, no blackface. Alas, that was not to last...

The opera started with man waiving a big, Italian flag behind the big golden building. Then soldiers dressed in camouflage caught him and beat him severely. Aida in black dress and blonde whig tried to help him. Amneris was also in a black dress with sparkly spots and blonde whig. Blond and white was name of Amneris followers. Aida rebelled and soon the whig was off. Radames was dressed in black as a general with gold streaks. Ramfis and his men was dressed as Catholic priests and monks. Ramfis was dressed in gold as Archbishop or Pope.

Soldiers in camouflage, some times off with shirt, flexing muscles, eager always to use machines against anyone. OK. We get it, Austria was bad to Italians. Ballet meant a chance for bad taste to unfold. The blackest blackface to one of the dancers and then a red "egypt hat" with black, curly hair AND dancing in a kind of monkey type dance AND beating of two camouflage soldiers. I had to look over the stage towards Amneris and friends and just avoid the stage floor. And what did it do for the opera NOTHING except BAD TASTE in whole body. Then there was the Holocaust looking like scene with lots of Dead, White Bodies and Radames strolling there with his water bottle. Also something in Bad Taste and Not Necessary.

This production was distracting when it should not be and it did not speak to me. All that wonderful musical talent and then we got a Golden, but Empty AIDA. Oksana Dyka was wonderful!!! Marcelo Alvarez wonderful!!!

When I left Opera Bastille I was SOOO happy I did not have to see it again. My number 10 Aida and sadly not one of the good ones. The Aida in Verona this summer does not seem so bad now.

OD Travel & Photos
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