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AIDA at Met Live in HD

 Nothing but the best will do for Aida!  
Soprano Anna Netrebko  takes on the role of the Ethiopian princess, the slave of the Egyptian princess Amneris, sung by mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili. 
If Anna now owns the role, (following in the tradition of  Leontyne Price in her farewell Met performance in 1985), she can lay claim to owning many roles in her rise.  But the others are like money in the bank compared to her Aida which is like  gold in Fort Knox. 
Anna and Anita— the two are a dream team for singing even as they are fierce rivals for the love of the Egyptian general Radamès.   Such luxury to hear their voices, filled with the possibility emotions that desperate love elicits. Over the course of the opera, Amneris’ power will wane as Aida’s becomes stronger, something which these two express so movingly.
Another star in this is baritone Quinn Kelsey as Amonasro.  As Aida’s father, he is not protective of her like Rigoletto is of Gilda, nor as bourgeois as Germont is to Violetta.  In the tradition of Verdi father figures, he is almost tyrantical in how he represents the conflict that Aida must choose to resolve between her love of country and family  (in Verdi they are the same thing) and the love of her life.  
Tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko is Radamès. He too is torn by love of Aida and of his country.  He is strong in leading troops in battle but no match for the powers at home —the Egyptian king sung by Ryan Speedo Green and the high priest, Ramfis sung by Dmitry Belosselskiy.
The mythical story of a love triangle wrapped in Verdi’s expressive music has it all: soaring arias and heartfelt duets,  lavish choral work and spirited marches, breathtaking ballet and acrobatic dancing.
At the first century AD Arena di Verona, the spectacle over the last hundred years has sometimes included  a water pool to conjure up the image of the Nile on which little Egyptian boats could sail as well as  populate the stage with a great number of  elephants, horses and dromedaries. The Met has certainly done the opera the homage due to it in this production with its lavish sets.
But this production has something extra, something for the history books with Anna N. and Anita R.  taking on the roles of Aida and Amneris.  
Watch for them in the upcoming Live at the Met in January, Adriana Lecouvreur.

WANT TO GO
https://www.metopera.org/season/2018-19-season/aida/






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