2002-06-16 Aida (G. Verdi), Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich)

Aida = Norma Fantini
Radames = Dennis O'Neill
Amneris = Nadja Michael
Ramfis = Carlo Colombara
Amonasro = Alexandru Agache
Re d'Egitto = Gerhard Auer
Un messagero = Francesco Petrozzi
Sacerdotessa = Annegeer Stumphius

Zubin Mehta, conductor

Inszenierung - David Pountney
Bühne - Robert Israel
Kostüme - Dunya Ramicova
Choreographie - Nils Christe
Licht - Mimi Jordan Sherin
Chöre - Udo Mehrpohl

Zubin Mehta conducts. When the curtains go up, I see the scenography,  and my heart sinks to the bottom, but Zubin is conducting, and the singers are excellent.  They are all excellent. NADJA MICHAEL is a magnificent AMNERIS. What a great voice! Her slender body and big voice and a great actress too. NORMA FANTINI must be one of the best AIDA's today, big voice.  RAMFIS is also the best voice I have heard for long. Alexandru Agache is naturally a great baritone, but his pronunciation is not as clear as could have wished for. Dennis O´Neil is good as RADAMES, he looks like Pavarotti, but I still am not quite a fan of this Welsh tenor. Act 1 + 2 were together as one act, then 30 minutes pause, and then Act 3+4 together as one act. Luckily the second half was much more to my liking as scenography. And wow, was there a great mezzo there in Nadja Michael, like in the duet with Radames in the fourth act, I have never heard it sung better. It was such a great performance, that even though it seem to ordinary to walk from the performance at minimum applause, people stayed on and on. I was naturally one of the last to go.

Another 6 stars,  the scenography gets only 3, 0 for act 1+2, 6 for act 3+4.
This page was last updated: June 20, 2022