From Baltimore Opera, an Ear-Catching ‘Aida’
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 6:45From Baltimore Opera, an Ear-Catching ‘Aida’
A production of Verdi’s “Aida” by “stage and visual director” Paolo Micciche opened the Baltimore Opera’s new season Saturday. It’s conspicuously similar to his Washington National Opera production at DAR Constitution Hall a few years back — from the hyperactively mobile scrims scooting about the stage to the swirl of cheesy computer-generated imagery projected on them. It’s as if some PowerPoint presentation on “Aida” had gone berserk, piling on Day-Glo renderings of ancient Egypt until Verdi’s opera didn’t stand a chance against all the visual noise.
But bring an eye mask and give this cast a listen. The American singers are terrific — baritone Mark Rucker’s Amonasro and bass Ashley Howard Wilkinson’s Ramfis thrill with their dark timbres and fine projection. But it’s the trio of Italian singers who supply the biggest jolt of old-school Verdi sound: Soprano Tiziana Caruso is a rare triple threat as Aida — uncommonly attractive, she is an affecting actress who boasts an alluring mix of huskiness and opulence in her tone; mezzo Giovanna Casolla sings Amneris with an authentically tangy edge to her middle register; and tenor Antonello Palombi tempers the baritonal heft of his voice to a limpid sweetness as Radames.
If Micciche’s high-school-pageant blocking does the cast no favors, conductor Andrea Licata’s red-blooded treatment of the score suits these singers well. And unlike the director, Licata draws passion from his performers that serves the drama.
Source: washingtonpost.com
