The Richmond Theatre 30 April - 5 May 2007

Following Aida's premier in Cairo in December 1871, Verdi wrote, "This opera is one of my less bad." It was probably his most popular, earning him - in addition to the $20,000 (a fortune at the time) that the Khedive Ismail Pasha of Egypt paid him for the commission - more than any of his other compositions. This "less bad" is playing at The Richmond Theatre in one of its "less bad" productions. (When this opera is done badly, it can be terrible - leaving no doubt why a musical theorist as astute as Edward Said hated Verdi.)

The Chisinau National Opera company fills the small space at the theatre, the cast singing amid beautiful Egyptian columns and stone temples as good as any at the Royal Opera House. But the costumes and stage direction seem unworthy of the strong orchestra (who played well, despite the fact that Romanian Maestro Gheorghe Stanciu took the baton at short notice) and some magnificent singing. Why all the male messengers and spear carriers were made to wear bum freezing mini-togas and grey jockeys was as much a puzzle as a royal crown on the slave Aida. No matter. The Chisinau cast gave their all for an operatic evening that delighted its audience and made its many flaws seem minor.

This traditional production varies little from the staging that Verdi himself set for it. Verdi's interest in Aida went into all areas of the production. He interfered with the writing of every line of the libretto and went to Paris to commission the costumes and sets - whose delivery to Cairo was delayed by the German occupation of Paris in 1870. The themes of love, betrayal, revenge and condemnation of a priestly caste - resonating strongly for Verdi in that year when the Kingdom of Italy finally conquered Rome and abolished the Papal states - come to life in this version thanks to the two female leads, soprano Galina Bernaz as Aida and mezzo Nadejda Stoianova as her rival Amneris. Bernaz's rendition of Numi pietý evokes compassion from the first act, and she sustains the quality to the end. In some arias, when her anguish is greatest, the director glues her to the centre of the stage and won't let her body show what she is enduring - although her voice compensates for the lack of meaningful action.

Patrizio Hu as Radames lacks the weight to convince us that either Aida or Amneris would abandon their honour and their countries for him. Although it was not his fault that one violin managed to drown Celeste Aida as he reached the aria's climax, he did not achieve many dramatic highs during all his time on stage. Lacking presence and hampered by a cape that made him look like a comic book superhero about to fly away, he was no match in stature or voice for Aida's father, sung by the giant baritone Boris Materinco. Materinco dominated his scenes with vigorous motion and subtle song, although he was badly let down by make-up artists who costumed him with a fright wig that made him look unfortunately like Gary Glitter.

The Chisinau National Opera

The Orchestra of the Chisinau National Opera, Moldova

Conductor
Gheorghe Stanciu

Producer
Ellen Kent

Artistic Director
Yuri Grigorovich

Aida
Galina Bernaz

Amneris
Nadejda Stoinova

Radames
Patrizio Hu