July 27, 2003: Aida in Verona

2003-07-27 Aida (G. Verdi), Arena di Verona

The King = Carlo Striuli
Amneris = Larissa Diadkova
Aida = Micaela Carosi
Radames = Piero Giuliacci
Ramfis = Giacomo Prestia
Amonasro = Ambrogio Maestri
High Priestess = Antonella Trevisan
A messenger = Mauro Buffoli

Daniel Oren, conductor

After traveling most of the day by train. 9.30 from Munich and in Verona by 1505. I went by taxi to the hotel. Luckily the Hotel Tryp have a courtesy bus, so I was lucky enough to use that most of the time I was going to Verona, Piazza Bra and the Arena. Anyway I took one of at 19 something, it is a 9-seater, and it is free if the seat is free. I saw a hugh queue of people, actually more than one. I though they was wanting tickets, no, they were lining up, so that they could get a good seat in the unnumbered seats, the cheap tickets. So I got a cheap ticket for sector B, well, Euro 17,50 (is cheaper than Euro 139).

So there I was, it was still not even 20hrs, and I was hungry. But luckily I could buy Coca Cola and something to eat. I was seated beside the stage, so sometimes the singers were hidden behind the statues, but I could also see people getting out from under the pyramid. It was a black curtain there, but it was a very windy night. It was also lightning during most of the Aida, but no rain, so the show could go on. I don't think I heard any thunder. Maybe the orchestra drowned it?

Then it was 21.15 the opera starts. I would have loved to get to see Salvatore Licitra as Radames, but it was another chubby tenor that sang. Quite good. Ambrogio Maestri who I later saw as Germont père in La traviata, was Amonasro. Very imposing voice. Micaela Carosi, that sang Liú almost a month ago in Turandot with Cura, was really impressive as Aida. Larissa Diadkova as Amneris was great, impressive. The duet between Aida and Amneris was great, but unfortunately when Amneris line came "Fissami in volto... " (look me in my face) Amneris did not look at Aida, a serious mistake. Another bad thing was that the war prisoners was so few, like just a handful, now how could Amonasro think that he could win over the plenty Egyptians with that lot. Radames, not very impressive, the King and Ramfis, why afraid to release them....Stupid. Less priests and more Ethiopians.....

A typical overloaded Zeffirelli opera, do really the whole stage have to be packed... And action (like dancing) going on all the time. So many distractions. But that's the Arena.

Another thing... famous opera... people humming or singing along the singers and orchestra, annoying. And sometime talking or laughing, or just humming, really bad.
Arena
27 July 2003 - 21.15



Aida


Opera in 4 acts by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni


PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Daniel Oren


DIRECTOR Franco Zeffirelli
SCENOGRAPHER Franco Zeffirelli
COSTUME DESIGNER Anna Anni
CHOREOGRAPHER Vladimir Vassiliev
CHOIR MASTER Marco Faelli
Director of the Corps de Ballet Maria Grazia Garofoli
Light Designer Paolo Mazzon
Director of stage design Giuseppe De Filippi Venezia


CAST



Prima ballerina Myrna Kamara
Male lead dancer Gregor Hatala
Akmen Amaya Ugarteche

OD Travel

June 28, 2003: Turandot in Verona

2003-06-28 Turandot (G. Puccini), Arena di Verona

Turandot = Giovanna Casolla
Altoum = Aldo Bottion
Timur = Hao Jiang Tian
Calaf = José Cura
Liù = Micaela Carosi
Ping = Marco Camastra
Pong = Iorio Zennaro
Pang = Gianluca Floris
A mandarin = Giuseppe Riva
The prince of Persia = Angel Harkatz
First maidservant = Daniela Forapani
Second maidservant = Antonella D'Amico

Alain Lombard, conductor



Arena di Verona
28 June 2003 - 21.15

Turandot


Dramma lirico in 3 acts by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Adami e Renato Simoni


PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Alain Lombard


DIRECTOR Yuri Alexandrov
Assistant Director Tatiana Karpacheva


SCENOGRAPHER Vjacheslav Okunev
COSTUME DESIGNER Vjacheslav Okunev
CHOIR MASTER Marco Faelli
Director of the Corps de Ballet Maria Grazia Garofoli
Light Designer Paolo Mazzon
Director of stage design Giuseppe De Filippi Venezia

Turandot 28.6.2003 with Jose Cura. Jose Cura sang wonderfully, all the bravos (and some shouting of "bis." they sounded more like dislike-shouting, than "Da Capo" in French) after his wonderful Nessun dorma.

It was a colorful, beautiful Turandot. But I did not like all of the directors ideas. The choreography of the crowd was disturbing, and some of the dancing was too. One could be distracted so that one suddenly did not know where Cura was. Cura looked dashing in the soldier-uniform, with all that black hair. It was definitely "there he is!!". But to make Calaf a soldier, was a fault. He is the unknown Prince, who is in exile, trying to hide from his enemies. And certainly as a soldier he would have seen Turandot before. So it was an illogical choice. But he looked great in the silver-armor.

All C´s got al lot of applause, Cura (Calaf), Cassolli (Turandot) and Caresi (Liu). But too much circus in this Turandot, to my taste.

The opera stopped early because of rain, when Turandot sings :"La mia gloria e finita!" We waited a bit, but the weather forecast was not good, so a bit over midnight it was all over. And I went back to my hotel in the rain and in Blitz und Donner!

"Non piangere, Liu!"

OD Travel + Photos

June 26, 2005: Aida in Verona

2005-06-26 Aida (Verdi), Arena di Verona

The King = Marco Spotti
Amneris = Tichina Vaughn
Aida = Micaela Carosi
Radamès = José Cura
Ramfis = Vitalji Kovaliov
Amonasro = Alberto Mastromarino
A messenger = Carlo Bosi
High Priestess = Antonella Trevisan

Daniel Oren, conductor



Arena
26 June 2005 - 21.15



Aida


Opera in 4 acts by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni


PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Daniel Oren


DIRECTOR Franco Zeffirelli
SCENOGRAPHER Franco Zeffirelli
COSTUME DESIGNER Anna Anni



Wonderful!!!

I could have had another opera the day before, La Gioconda (June 25) but I decided to rest in Hotel Tryp Verona. I think that was wise. June 26 at 1830 I took the Opera Bus to Verona (Castelvecchio) and as before I ate some dinner at Cafe Opera before the opera started. This time too I saw no JCx friends before I too was inside the Arena, even more friends this time.

And I sat on the front row and this was an even better Aida, almost perfect. Again it was the conductor's tempi (too fast at delicate places in Aida). I could see the conductor from my place, in my opinion he was too preoccupied with the orchestra and looked seldom up to the singers.

But still the singers was better, the conductor was also a bit kinder to the singers. Another Ramfis this time, Vitalji Kavaliov, also doing quite well. Indeed they were all doing very well despite this time there was a few times when they almost sang wrong. But this was a more energetic Aida and better acted. Alberto Mastromarino as Amonasro was doing well although he was not so exact as on June 23.

Better last act certainly. Wonderful AIDA!!!

OD Travel + Photos

June 23, 2005: Aida in Verona

2005-06-23 Aida (Verdi), Arena di Verona

The King = Marco Spotti
Amneris = Tichina Vaughn
Aida = Micaela Carosi
Radamès = José Cura
Ramfis = Carlo Colombara
Amonasro = Alberto Mastromarino
A messenger = Carlo Bosi
High Priestess = Antonella Trevisan

Daniel Oren, conductor



Arena
23 June 2005 - 21.15



Aida


Opera in 4 acts by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni


PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Daniel Oren


DIRECTOR Franco Zeffirelli
SCENOGRAPHER Franco Zeffirelli
COSTUME DESIGNER Anna Anni

Wonderful day in Verona

I arrived in Verona Porta Nuova at 1500. It was a hot day. After staying in my hotel Tryp Verona for a few hours I took the Opera Bus to Verona (1830). I tried to find if I could see any JCx friends there, and then I sat at Cafe Opera and had some dinner before the opera. It seem to take forever until day at last opened door one, some trouble with the keys I think.

But at last at the Arena I met Yvonne and Kira and many more. This was a big Zeffirelli Aida production, beautiful and wonderfully operatic. I think I must have had some troubles with my ears because I didn't hear so well the first act. The conductor was a disappointment he was too fast in many of the delicate moments almost ruining the opera. Jose Cura looked wonderful and sing/acted Radames wonderfully. Tichina Vaughn did her best but lacked some of the charisma this role needs. Micaela Carosi had no such troubles, her voice was clear and she had a lot of charisma. No wonder the opera is called AIDA. Alberto Mastromarino was an efficient Amonasro, Carlo Colombara did well as Ramfis, Marco Spotti was OK as the King.

The Ballet was not to my liking, I found it almost offensive. The prima ballerina as a kind of high priestess was a good idea that worked very well.

OD Travel + Photos