Seattle Opera’s ‘Aida’ as big and beautiful as ever

Published 2:28 pm Thursday, July 31, 2008

When it comes to grand opera, it doesn’t get any bigger, or grander, than “Aida,” Verdi’s tragic love story of a captive Ethiopian princess (Aida) and an Egyptian general (Radames) set in Egypt at the time of the pharaohs. Full of pomp and pageantry, scenic effects and dazzling music, “Aida” has been an audience favorite since its 1871 premiere.

It’s a big-scale extravaganza with an exotic setting — a king’s palace, the moonlit banks of the Nile, a sealed tomb — that tells the story of doomed lovers set against a backdrop of war and political intrigue. The score includes the spine-tingling Triumphal March in Act II, an opera “wow” moment. Opera companies have rolled out casts of hundreds and a virtual menagerie of animals, including elephants and camels, for this iconic scene.

Seattle Opera pours on the theatrical fireworks in its staging of “Aida,” done in the classic Egyptian style and opening Saturday night. Don’t look for the elephants, but do expect an evening of pageantry, drama, a tragic love story and great music.

Because of its sheer size, “Aida,” last performed here in 1992, presents a staging challenge. Casts are large (in Seattle that includes 45 in the chorus, 12 dancers and a large cast of principal singers). The sets are big, as is the orchestra. It’s opera on a grand scale but with an intimate human drama to tell. The company has had all summer to prepare, marshalling a veteran production team that includes stage director Robin Guarino and a high-profile cast of singers.

Guarino, a regular at New York Metropolitan Opera, talked about this new-to-Seattle “Aida” during a brief rehearsal break, beginning with the look of the opera. Visually, it’s a traditional “Aida” with lavish sets by Michael Yeargan (2008 Tony Award winner for “South Pacific”), elaborate period costumes by Peter Hall, lighting by Robert Wierzel and choreography by Seattle’s Donald Byrd.

“It’s well told in the traditional manner,” Guarino said. Among the challenges for the director is to make certain that the “spectacle does not upstage, but enhances the love story. At its heart, ‘Aida’ is like a chamber opera,” Guarino said.

Aida is an Ethiopian princess who is enslaved by the Egyptians. She loves Radames, an Egyptian warrior. Amneris, the Pharaoh’s daughter, also loves Radames, but he does not return her love. Egypt and Ethiopia go to war, and Radames leads the Egyptian army to victory, expecting the king to reward him with Aida’s freedom. Instead, Radames is tricked, tried for treason and sentenced to be entombed alive. To his surprise, he finds Aida in the tomb and together they await their death.

“We really focus on the love story,” Guarino said. “Radames believes that if he goes off and wins a war, he’s going to win his princess” but events prove otherwise, Guarino said.

“We can tell the story in the 21st century in terms of the heart and style, but it’s a traditional-looking production.”

That means the big second-act triumphal parade as the warriors return from battle, a logistical challenge for the director and a thrilling moment for the audience.

Soprano Lisa Daltirus, who displayed vocal prowess and compelling stage presence in last season’s “Tosca,” sings Aida in the opening-night cast, with Ana Lucrecia Garcia making her Seattle debut in the role in four of the 11 performances. Mezzo soprano Stephanie Blythe, whose silken voice has helped her blaze a major career, sings Amneris, with Margaret Jane Wray in the second cast.

Antonello Palombi, a big-voiced Italian tenor who sang the role of Canio in last season’s “Pagliacci,” sings Radames, alternating with Australian tenor Rosario La Spina. Baritones Charles Taylor and Richard Paul Fink sing Amonasro and Luiz-Ottavio Faria and Carsten Wittmoser alternate in the role of Ramfis. Joseph Rawley, Priti Gandhi and Karl Marx Reyes round out the cast.

Italian conductor Riccardo Frizza makes his Seattle Opera debut.