Violeta Urmana is the slave girl of the title who loves the warrior Radamès (Johan Botha). Dolora Zajick sings Amneris, the Pharaoh’s daughter and Aida’s rival for Radamès’s affection. The love triangle ends in treason, imprisonment, and death. Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet. DVD release by Decca Music Group, The Metropolitan Opera.
Verdi, Daniele Gatti, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus And Ballet, Violeta Urmana, Johan Botha, Dolora Zajick, Carlo Guelfi. Verdi, Daniele Gatti, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus And Ballet, Violeta Urmana, Johan Botha, Dolora Zajick, Carlo Guelfi - Aida (2xDVD-V, NTSC). Decca, The Metropolitan Opera.
Information on the Performance. Composer: Verdi Giuseppe. Libretto: Antonio Ghislanzoni. Venue & Opera Company: Metropolitan Opera, New York. Recorded: October 24, 2009. Type: Staged Opera Live. Singers: Violeta Urmana, Johan Botha, Dolora Zajick, Carlo Guelfi, Roberto Scandiuzzi. Conductor: Daniele Gatti. Orchestra: Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Chorus: Metropolitan Opera Chorus. Chorus Master: David Stivender. Ballet: Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Choreographer: Alexei Ratmansky. Stage Director: Sonja Frisell.
Daniele Gatti leads the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus in this sumptuous production of Verdi's opera recorded live in New York in 2009. Performers include Violeta Urmana, Johan Botha, Dolora Zajick and Carlo Guelfi. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1. This shopping feature will continue to load items. Metropolitan Opera .
Urmana, Zajick; Botha, Guelfi, Scandiuzzi, Kocán; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet, Gatti. As Aida, Violeta Urmana has temperament and flair but little warmth, as her soprano is not a sensuous one; it's wincingly shrill on forte high notes in "Ritorna vincitor!" and elsewhere in Acts I and II, controlled and cool in "O patria mi. She drops the text and sings vowels only on the high As and B-flats at the peak of the Act III duet with Radamès. Tenor Johan Botha sings with consistent sweetness, even at the end of "Celeste Aida," where he begins the B-flat a bit under, glides up to pitch and struggles somewhat to sustain and taper the tone.
All opera lovers must investigate this DVD of Aida recorded at the Met October 24, 2009, one of their HD theatre telecasts. The performance is respectable if not outstanding. Johan Botha, a large man, is a wooden Radamès but he copes well with the demanding role. Violeta Urmana is not a true Verdi soprano and she sometimes rushes a bit; most successful of the principals is Dolora Zajick, who has been singing Amneris for about two decades. The real star here is the fantastic production that makes full use of the Met's backstage magic.
Set in ancient Egypt, Aida is both a heartbreaking love story and an epic drama full of spectacular crowd scenes. A cast of powerful voices and a grand production bring the story to life on the Met stage (and on the HD screen). Johan Botha plays Radamès, commander of the Egyptian army, and Daniele Gatti conducts. Among the score’s highlights is the celebrated Triumphal March.
Verdi: Aida on DVD (044007434284) from Universal - Music. Directed by Gary Halvorson. Staring Bradley Shelver, Christine Freeman, Adam Laurence Herskowitz and Johan Botha. Maestro Daniele Gatti conducts.
