Last night a performance of the Met’s new production of Aida was broadcast over the company’s Sirius channel. It’s always hazardous to make judgments based on a single listen, so I’ll make a fiew tentative comments. I’ll expand these after seeing the production on January 25th as part of this year’s HD series.
The vocal quality, which is all I can opine on, was below par. This was particularly true of Angel Blue’s performance in the title role. Her sound seemed more appropriate for Puccini’s Mimì than for Verdi’s voluptuously voiced Ethiopian princess. Aida is a role sung by the Met’s giants like Rosa Ponselle and Zinka Milanov. Blue was seriously miscast in the part. Her thin sound was unsteady and she was unable to produce a rich floating pianissimo. The paucity of applause after her two big arias was startling. The subdued audience reaction to all the opera’s big numbers was equally surprising. If this performance is typical she should rethink the future of the heavy Verdi roles in her repertoire.
Except for Quinn Kelsey as Amonasro the rest of the cast was what you would expect from an average provincial Italian opera company. Tenor SeokJong Baek had all the notes, many of which he held onto like a drowning man grasping a life preserver, but his sound is dry and unattractive. He can, however, sing softly while maintaining correct vocal posture. This ability was particularly welcome in the opera’s final scene.
Romania mezzo Judit Kutasi was effective as Amneris. She got through the Judgement Scene without mishap and deserved more than the spattering of applause that followed its conclusion. The rest of the cast, Kelsey excepted, were competent without standing out.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin led a competent effort from his outstanding musicians. He did not provide any exceptional insights to Verdi’s great score. In fact, the clear winner from last night’s performance was the composer. The breadth of his ability to command large forces while also depicting the most intimate and moving emotions is unequaled in opera. The applause that followed the Triumphal Scene was more for Verdi than for the performers.
More on this show later this month.
