Amal Choucri Catta attends a brilliant performance of Aida, undimmed by an excess of golden trimmings Opera Aida performed by Cairo Opera Company, director Abdullah Saad; Cairo Opera Orchestra, conductor Nader Abbasi ; Cairo Opera Choir, director Aldo Magnato; Cairo Ballet Company, choreographers Abdel-Moneim and Erminia Kamel. Venue: Main Hall, Cairo Opera House, 10 to 13 September, 2005. She has been faithfully returning every year to her ancestors' necropolis, shedding tears of joy for her lover, while grieving over the loss of her homeland and singing her sorrowful "Numi, pieta." A princess turned slave-girl, she is madly in love with the conquering hero, enemy of her father and fatherland, who finally, if involuntarily, betrays his own country and is condemned to be buried alive. In the end she dies with him, as she has been dying every season. This season she returned for four nights to the Main Hall of Cairo's Opera House, in Giuseppe Verdi's lavish opera Aida, with the Cairo Opera Orchestra beautifully conducted by Nader Abbasi, the Opera's ballet company with enchanting dances choreographed by Abdel-Moneim and Erminia Kamel, and the Opera's choir perfectly directed by Aldo Magnato. Yet one defect marred the perfection: the priests' voices invoking Ptah in the first act were almost inaudible. Their pianissimo was exaggerated when compared to the priestess's prayer to Ptah, sung backstage. As for sets and costumes, director Abdullah Saad made several changes. While the sets, somewhat simple, had gained in beauty and elegance, the costumes were weighed down by an excess of gold trimmings, golden headgear, golden cloaks and mantles. Pharaoh had visibly grown wealthier while bestowing his riches profusely upon his subjects. Even Radames wore a golden mantle he kept kicking aside while skeptical viewers expected him to end up stumbling over the unnecessary length of shimmering material. The king meanwhile had difficulty lifting his train up the few steps to his throne, and Amneris's cloak had to be manipulated by one of her slaves. But it should be conceded that every move was elegantly executed, and the entire spectacle was a fabulous extravaganza. Seeing Aida at least once a year has turned into a must for many, even newcomers to opera. Verdi's music is particularly melodious: some tunes and arias have an instant impact on the listener, such as Radames's "Celeste Aida," the priestess's prayer to Ptah, Amonasro's aria in the second scene of Act Two, Aida's "Oh patria mia" of Act Three, and Amneris's curse upon the priesthood, among others. This time Iman Mustafa, Egypt's first "soprano lirico spinto" was once again cast as the heroine Aida, in alternation with Italian Rossella Redoglia who is no newcomer to Cairo Opera's main stage. Italian tenor Mario Leonardi, hero of last season's performances of Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana" and Ruggiero Leoncavallo's "I Pagliacci," returned as Radames, respectively with the Egyptian Walid Korayem, who has been interpreting Radames for many years now. Amonasro, the Ethiopian king and Aida's father, was sung by the excellent Egyptian baritone Mustafa Mohamed, who shared the part with Italian Alfio Grasso, often appreciated by our audiences while gracing Cairo Opera's main stage. Hanan El-Guindi, Egypt's foremost Mezzo-soprano, was a marvelous Amneris; she shared the part with Jolie Faizi. Bass-baritone Reda El-Wakil brilliantly interpreted the high-priest Ramphis in all performances, and strong- voiced bass Abdel-Wahab El-Sayyed was cast as Pharaoh, in alternation with young Hatem El-Guindi. Tenor Tamer Tewfik and Ibrahim Nagui were respective messengers; the grand priestess, who should originally have been interpreted by mezzo-soprano Hala El-Shabouri, was finally sung by soprano Gihan Fayed. Among the 14 vocal soloists, audiences applauded some magnificent voices, such as Italian tenor Mario Leonardi. He, however, devoted more of his attention to his voice than to his performance, which turned out to be rather cold and unconvincing. Walid Korayem, on the other hand, though he may not enjoy Leonardi's brilliant timbre, put on a performance that was as pleasant as it was dignified. Radames is a stately hero, an affectionate lover, a brave warrior and a citizen who loves his country, choosing death over life as a traitor. Korayem seems to have developed a particular sympathy with this rather confusing character of the Pharaonic hero, and his interpretation of Radames was quite remarkable. In the first two acts of his opera, Giuseppe Verdi develops a particular liking for the spectacular, with grandiose proportions, introducing the main performers with great arias and lofty melodies beautifully sung by the choir. The first two acts inform audiences of the war between Egypt and Ethiopia, of the love between Aida and Radames, of Amonasro's presence in Thebes and of Amneris's love for Radames. Having disclosed Radames's treason, Verdi bids farewell to the spectacular and turns, in the last two acts, to the meditative, with moving sequences and dramatic situations -- and, in this case, a fantastic performance by Amneris (Hanan El-Guindi). She has now discarded her golden robes and lovely jewels, and is cloaked in floating robes, enhancing her beauty and her presence on stage. A slim, tall and elegant Prima Donna, she vainly endeavours to save Radames's life. He is death to the entreaties of Pharaoh's daughter, whose jealousy, as Amneris herself is aware, has brought about his downfall. Amneris begs and pleads with him, and as the priests ask him to defend himself, he remains silent, awaiting his fate. In the end, he is condemned "to die the death of the infamous: to thee, alive, be opened the tomb." At this point Amneris curses the priests while exiting in despair. The final scene shows the interior of the vault in which Radames is interred alive. As the stone is sealed over his head, Aida, who has been patiently waiting for him, rises before him. The lovers sing farewell to earth: "farewell to the dream of joy which vanished in grief. Heaven opens itself to us and the wandering souls fly to the rays of eternal day." As they die, Amneris appears in mourning and, prostrating herself on the tomb, she implores Isis to open heaven's gates to the lovers, while the curtain falls and the two dramatic acts of Verdi's Aida come to a moving end. Having loved every minute of the enchanting spectacle, audiences are sure to come again next season, when Aida will hopefully be returning to the deserted spaces of her ancestors.
