But an opera lives and dies with its conductor, and it's the presence of Claudio Abbado and the orchestra of The La Scala opera house elevates this production several notches above any other you might hear. Not only does he know when to reign in his singers, but he also knows just the right moments to give them their heads and let loose.
He is able to pace the opera in such a manner that by the end when the lovers Aida and General Radames are signing of their undying love while awaiting execution, they have enough left in the tank to sound as fresh and strong as they did in the first act. A conductor who lets a singer reach his or her zenith too early in a production sets up the rest of the opera to be a disappointment.
Of course to have that kind of control, one must understand the numerous intricacies of both the libretto and the score if he is going to make it work. Abbado seems to have been weaned on this opera, so smooth and seamless are all the transitions from moment to moment and scene to scene.
Aida may be one of the more popular and well known of the major operas, but that doesn't mean it is easy to come by a recording of quality. Opera D'oro has released a beautifully performed, masterly conducted and lovingly recorded live version that will supplant any existing recording in your collection.
Article comments
1 - Bliffle
When young I thought opera ludicrous. Why would people do all those crazy things for love? But then...
2 - Eileen Pfaff
I am glad you came to appreciate opera. What makes you think that the broadcasts were not in fact live? They were and still are. In fact, one came to a dead stop and was cancelled quite a few years ago when a man jumped from a balcony to his death during an intermission. That's one of the things that makes the broadcasts so exciting, they are happening as you hear them.
3 - Richard Marcus
The annoucement made at the beginning of a broadcast saying that the concert had originally taken place at some other date was usually the give away. No I know that they were mostly live, but some of them wern't as not even the Met will be running a different Opera every Saturday for 52 weeks of the year.
Richard