Reviews 2004
Reviews 2004
✭✭✩✩✩
by Giuseppe Verdi, directed by Giampaola Zennaro
Royal Opera Canada, Toronto Centre for the Arts, Toronto
May 6-15, 2004
The last Aida to appear in Toronto was the dreadful Disney musical by Elton John. Now Royal Opera Canada gives us a chance to see the Verdi masterpiece that inspired it. On the plus side are the impressive costumes and monumental sets, the excellent playing of the orchestra and generally good singing. On the minus side director Giampoala Zennaro has done nothing but move the cast around in symmetrical patterns as if staging a high school graduation. He has no interpretation and gives none to the singers.
The result is truly bizarre. In the famous triumphal procession the chorus sings “Gloria” with faces totally devoid of expression. Even the appearance on stage of a live tiger, camel and elephant do nothing to wake them from their trance. That Egyptian princess Amneris (Stefania Scolastici) loves the Egyptian hero Radamès (Ernesto Grisales), who loves Aida (Rossella Redoglio), princess of the enslaved enemy Ethiopians, we know from the surtitles not the direction, because Zennaro keeps the main characters yards apart at all times and singing to the conductor not each other.
Grisales has a powerful, heroic voice, but wears an unchanging grimace suggesting a toothache. His acting is confined to three positions--arms up, arms down and hands on heart. Redoglia and Scolastici share this acting style, but Redoglia, past her prime, is most preoccupied with posing to show off her costume. Scolastici’s face is hidden by an ugly oversized wig. Only Ke-Qing Liu as Aida’s father Amonasro creates a character instead of another singing automaton.
©Christopher Hoile
Note: A version of this review appeared in Eye Weekly 2004-05-13.
Photo: Ernesto Grisales as Radames (in chariot). ©2004 www.yourADonline.com.
2004-05-13
Aida