The 2014/2015 Metropolitan Opera Season (part 2)

Hey guys! I really hoped that I had finished this sooner but this week has been crazy! Going to job interviews, doing a billion things for my mum, seeing about Summer Programs (I got into the Opera Live in NYC Program), ending the bedroom makeover, successfully selling unwanted stuff online and also seeing about maybe going to Vancouver to study has totally taken up my whole week! But it’s been a blast really, it was a great week without a dull moment in it.

I’ve also sort of created some living rules for me now because since I’m a lot at home and working from the computer I tend to get very distracted. First rule was cutting all bread, sweets, sodas and fried stuff from my diet. I thought that it would be so awful but it actually wasn’t and I’m feeling a lot better. Then not stuffing myself with food, because what usually happened to me was I would put a lot of stuff in my plate because I was afraid to not have enough food to satiate myself. And then I would push the extra food in because I feel bad about leaving food on the plate. So now I eat in small portions and if I’m still hungry I grab a tad more.  And another thing was not eating under any circumstance carbs at night. I’ve been doing this for the last 3 weeks and have lost about 6 kgs, which is a lot.

Plus I can only read fanfiction at night. That rule helps a lot with my productivity during the days I stay home. Since I’ve decided to sell some stuff I don’t want any more I’ve been at home and in front of the computer a lot. It’s this great deal and I’ve already sold three things in the last couple of days, a belt, a bag and a pair of shoes.

But let's go back to the subject in question here, opera! Here are 6 more operas coming next season at the Met!

That Egyptian love story that never gets old

I don’t even need to say more, right? Aida has got to be one of my favorite operas and this production is probably the best I’ve ever seen. It features the Met’s entire chorus plus a couple hundred extras and dancers and horses and the whole shebang! Apart from the fact that we are talking Verdi here and most importantly we are talking about one of the most beautiful music ever written. It’s amazing how the tunes from Aida just stay with you, I remember when I first saw it that I simply could not stop hearing those tunes in my head!

Even though this is without a trace of a doubt an Italian opera it actually opened in Cairo back in 1871. I believe that the Khedivial Opera House commissioned this from Verdi, don’t remember though. Well the story is as old as time, the typical Verdian love triangle. Aida is an Ethiopian slave serving in Egypt, more specifically serving the Pharaoh’s daughter Amneris. Both ladies are head over heels in love with the captain Radames, who technically is hot stuff but normally what you see is over weight on stage (frustrating, much? Yes!). Anywho, Radames has a secret affair with Aida and they are both SO in love. But the thing is, like every good Slytherin (yes, I have HP house sorted opera characters, Radames goes to Gryffindor, Aida Hufflepuff and Amneris Slytherin, the hat never lies!) Amneris senses there’s something going on between Radames and Aida and will do everything she can to humiliate Aida and to get Radames to herself. Amneris is the BEST character in this opera.

So, to take on the difficult role of Aida the Met got 3 amazing and very different sopranos. First up is Liudmyla Monastyrska who you guys might remember as the Aida from the last HD broadcast of this opera. She is young but oh so incredible, her Aida is full of feeling and her voice is a jewel. I also saw her playing Lady Macbeth a couple of years ago for the ROH, fantastic! Next up is Latonia Moore who has played this role many, many times and does a terrific job. Last but certainly not least the Ukrainian Oksana Dyka and let me tell you, this woman’s voice is an absolute DREAM! I was fortunate enough to see her in Prince Igor live in February and she blew that Metropolitan roof up! I would LOVE to see her as Aida!

But the dream casting does not stop there, for Amneris we have two absolute opera jewels! First up my personal favorite Amneris of all time, Olga Borodina who plays this role like no one else. She is absolute poison, absolutely passionate and her voice is like melting dark, dark chocolate. And I was particularly pleased because I had heard statements of hers saying that now that she’d turned 50 she wanted to slow down her career to be with her family. I’m just happy she didn’t drop the Met completely, a trip to Saint Petersburg is quite impossible for me right now. And also the double threat soprano/mezzo soprano Violeta Urmana who plays both the role of Aida AND Amneris, who cool is that, hun?

Sharing our ‘hero’s’ shoes will be Marcello Giordani and Marco Berti who both have a vast experience with Verdi and his difficult and taxing tenor roles. At the pit we have two of my favorite conductor’s, Marco Armiliato and Placido Domingo (the coolest person ever).

Out of so many cast possibilities the one I’d like to see would be Dyka/Borodina/Berti/Domingo but no can do. I can have almost that cast with Urmana instead of Borodina in April of next year.

Posts related to this; Un Ballo in Maschera at the Met; A Love Letter to Amneris; Ratpack Rigoletto

A Lady Macbeth from Russia

I know what you might think, but Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk has nothing to do with Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It’s a Russian opera written by Shostakovich that premiered in the 1930’s based on the novel Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov. Before this season’s announcement I had never heard of this opera, I have only seen one Shostakovich opera in my live, the Nose (which fortunately was live), which I really liked.

As I read the plot of this opera I couldn’t help but think that it was one of the most dynamic and passionate and cool plots of opera I’d ever read. This is what happens, Katerina is unhappily married to this guy Zinovy and his dad is pretty much a pain in the ass because he blames her for not having any heirs (but apparently it’s not really her fault, her husband isn’t really into her so, I have a slight feeling he might be gay). Katerina’s maid tells her about this guy Sergei who is a womanizer. When Katerina goes on to confront him and tell him women are just as good as men they end up getting into an actual physical fight which results in Sergei throwing himself on top of her. He does that only in time for her annoying father in law to see the scene and become suspicious about her loyalty to his son. At night Sergei goes to her room to ‘ask for a book’ but then proceeds to seduce her and they end up having hot sex. Her father in law (thinking that he’s all so smart) locks her in her room not knowing that Sergei is in there and they resume to basically having sex all night long.

And this is just the first act! There are like 4 acts in which the story TRULY unfolds and loads and loads of things happen! As Katerina we have the amazing Eva Maria Westbroek. She is so incredible, she has played cool Wagnerian roles like Sieglinde and majestic roles like Didon in Berlioz’s Les Troyes and also the operatic role of the infamous Anna Nicole Smith. She has this smooth and gorgeous voice I wish I could hear live someday. As her lover Sergei we have a tenor called Brandon Jovanovich of whom I had never heard of but just seeing pictures of him I totally get it why it was easy for Sergei to seduce Katerina. Hot stuff!

I really wish I could see this! Not gonna be on HD though! Bummer, it's probably because it's very dark and heavy stuff.

Posts related to this; Trip to NYC - Day 6 - The Nose; How Anna Nicole Smith Could Save Opera in the 21st Century

The barber who sings more than works

This is such a blast of an opera! It’s probably my second favorite Rossini opera (Le Comte Ory is my utmost favorite) and I know that Il Barbieri di Siviglia has touched the hearts of many people I know. It’s a wonderful comedy filled with catchy tunes and smart jokes. The story was taken from the Beaumarchais trilogy, it’s how it all started, part 1!

The story is pretty simple, Rosina (Isabel Leonard) is a beautiful young lady who is kept locked away at home most of the time by her guardian. He is an old, greasy man who plans to marry her only to get his hands on her money. Enters the Count (Lawrence Brownlee) who fell in love with her at first sight when spotting her at her window. So he procures the help of Figaro (Christopher Maltman) so they can fool Rosina’s guardian and get hitched.

The Met’s current production is by Barlet Sheer and it’s all right. No super amazing and grand sets but very efficient and fun in telling the story. One thing I really like in this production is Rosina’s second act dress which is to die for. But I’m a sucker for fashion so…

As the feisty Rosina we have the amazing American mezzo soprano Isabel Leonard who as I’ve said in some other posts is so amazing and such a nice person. For the Count we have another American singer, Lawrence Brownlee who together with Juan Diego Florez is taking the Rossini tenor roles by storm! He’s very, very talented and has a very good comedic timing. For our Figaro we have Christopher Maltman who is another amazing American singer. I had the privilege of seeing him in the very last performance of Die Fledermaus in February and he was so incredible. Amazingly funny and the music just seemed so natural and effortless it was really an amazing performance.

Posts related to this; La Cenerentola; Opera in Rehearsal; Fairytaleish Dress Rehearsal

The craziest song contest ever

If have to be honest I have to confess I don’t have much patience when it comes to Wagner. It might be because his operas tend to last 4 hours or it might be because I don’t understand a word they say. Either way I found myself feeling very lazy to read the plot of Die Meitersinger von Nürnberg, but I did anyway. This is the longest Wagner opera which is performed nowadays, it lasts approximately four hours and a half and we are not counting intermission time. This opera I just like Capriccio and L’Orfeo because it revolves around the creation and composing of music.

So the story is pretty crazy. There’s this knight named Walther who has no musical education whatsoever and he falls head over heels in love with Eva. But Eva’s dad is kind of delusional and says that she will marry the Meistersinger who wins the town’s song competition. So Walther tries to pretend that he’s a worthy candidate to be a Meistersinger so he can enter and win the competition and his beloved’s hand in marriage. But since he doesn’t have any musical education he fails miserably and the Meistersingers people don’t even let him finish his flaw filled song. From then on he’s gonna try and enter that competition anyway he can plus having to worry about a pain in the ass actual Meistersinger called Beckmesser who wants to win the competition. But he’s gonna have the help of the ultimate Meistersinger Hans Sachs so hope isn’t all lost.

As the savior of the day playing Hans Sachs we have Johan Reuter, as the hopeless knight (although he can resemble many things but a knight) is Johan Botha. As Eva we have Annette Dash who I had only heard singing Mozart and am quite curious to see how she will do with Wagner.

It’ not just any Verdi tragedy

I think this is the most popular of Verdi’s operas, hence it’s included every other season at the Met. If I’m going to be totally honest this is not my favorite production of La Traviata. Yes, the red dress is fabulous but there’s not much else to it. I think this kind of production is great to have at festivals or in one season of a big repertoire house but not as a reoccurring production. So every time you wanna watch La Traviata at the Met it’s this nude and empty production. This is my opinion, I don’t think the production is bad it’s just that for a house like the Met they should put up something beyond gorgeous for Verdi’s most beloved opera. My first experience with La Traviata was through this production and to be completely honest I didn’t understand half of it because they leave far too much to your imagination. I guess I’m just traditional.

Anyways, La Traviata tells the story of a courtesan named Violetta who was leading her life loveless but filled with luxury and wealth only too well before Alfredo came along. They fall in love and she decides to go and live with him in the countryside like the happy loving couple that they are and gives up her job. But everything is not sunshine and flowers, you see Alfredo does not have much money to afford the life they lead and Violetta is secretly selling her things to make ends meet. To make things worst Violetta receives the visit of Alfredo’s father who asks her to end their relationship because his association with a person like her is tarnishing the whole family name. And if they stay together nobody will want to marry Alfredo’s sister. It’s pretty sad from then on.

To play the dream role of 90% of sopranos the Met has brought two Marinas. The first is Marina Poplavskaya who actually opened this production at the Met some seasons ago. Again, I’m not a fan and her performance in this was actually filmed so you guys can judge for yourselves. Plus, isn’t she a bit old to have waist long hair? That hair is nothing special, don’t know why people make such a fuss about it. (Oh my, is that venom on my lips or what?). Our other Violetta is Marina Rebeka, now she was my first Donna Anna and she is just so good. She played this Donna Anna in the Met’s live in HD broadcast of Don Giovanni back in 2011.

For our love sick tenor we have the amazing Stephen Costello who is all sorts of awesome. I can’t help but feel sad because his wife Ailyn Pérez isn’t playing Violetta, she has played the part a billion times and oh so well plus they have insane chemistry on stage. Sharing the Alfredo duties with Stephen is Francesco Demuro. And last but not least papa Germont will be played by Ludovic Tézier aka the Severus Snape of opera (for that amongst other reasons I have sort of a crush on him). But he’s such a great singer, the very last thing I saw with him in was that Lucia I saw in a live stream back in July, he was playing Arturo, Lucia’s evil brother and he rocked it! (that’s when he got his HP nickname by the way).

Posts related to this; Lucia gives me the chills!; Annick Massis, tons of talent and sweetness

Holiday Candy Crush!

For the holiday presentation the Met is getting its huge chefs heads out of storage for an all English production of Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel. So the holiday presentations work something like this; they normally take a comedy or a happy ending opera, translate the whole thing to accessible English and do a rather unnecessary cutting session to the piece. I really like the idea of making something more accessible to a broader public but I find it thoroughly unnecessary to make cuts, if the piece is good it will grab people’s attention. But that’s just my opinion.

The Met has a great, fun and somewhat family friendly (the witch does have a freezer full of children hanging by hooks that you can actually see that’s a bit disturbing) production of Hansel and Gretel’s tale. It always makes me hungry because they get to eat all sorts of sweets at the second act but then again most things make me hungry.

The story pretty much follows the original tale. Hansel and Gretel are brother and sister and their family is extremely poor. They have to do many chores around the house to help out their parents but all they want to do is play. During a bed jumping session they break the only milk jar in the house, their parents are furious and send them to the woods to pick up berries so they’ll have something to eat. They end up losing their way in the woods and as it gets dark start seeing what truly happens when the sun goes down. All sorts of odd and magical creatures appear in their dreams and when they wake up they happen upon a house made entirely of candy, chocolate and cake. The rest we all know, don’t we?

As Gretel the Met has called back Christine Schafer the soprano who actually originated this role in this production a few seasons ago. As she is a very petite woman with a very pretty voice and incredible acting skills she suits Gretel quite perfectly. As Hansel we have the mezzo soprano Christine Rice.    

Wow, that was time consuming but extremely satisfying! And I guess that's it for today guys. Today is Once Upon a Time day and I'm excited! I actually got a way to watch it live so it's pretty cool :) Peace everyone!

The best of my musical 2013

The end of the year is near! And so I thought it would be fun to do some “best of 2013” lists! I might do this in more than one post, depending on the amount of stuff I write.

Best Operas

It’s in alphabetical order because I really don’t wanna choose which I liked best than the other, so those are the highlights of the year of operas I’ve seen live in 2013

Aida (Theatro Municipal de Sao Paulo)

This was my first time seeing Aida and it was really love at first sight! The music is just so incredible, the chorus parts are exhilarating and the solos, duets and trios just swept me off my feet! The staging was simple but dignified and Radames and Amneris were particularly wonderful. I saw this production of Aida twice at the Theatro Municipal in the city where I live, Sao Paulo, it was my very first time going there.

Eugene Onegin (Metropolitan Opera)

I felt so privileged to be able to see this opera live not only once but twice! Before I even saw this production I already loved this opera thoroughly. And then having such a stellar cast under the musical direction of none other than Valery Gergiev was just an absolute delight. The staging was beautiful and the interpretation of the characters was slightly different but it worked incredibly well for that particular set of performers.

La Cenerentola (Theatro Sao Pedro)

This opera I also saw more than once, if you have been reading this blog for a while you will know that I actually watched some rehearsals of this opera. The cast was adorable, the staging slightly bleh but the performers totally made up for it! Special spotlight for the ladies who played the evil step sisters who are sisters in real life and totally stole the show!

Norma (Metropolitan Opera)

I had never seen this opera and let me tell you, even though the staging was as dull as it gets, I loved it! It was my first night at the Met and I was alone and it couldn’t have been more perfect! I remember my eyes filling up with tears seeing Sondra come out for the first time and feel the tears roll down my cheeks when she started singing. Again, I saw this opera twice when I was there and feel so fortunate!

Best Concerts

Again in alphabetical order because they were all such different kinds of concerts and I really can’t choose, each had a very different kind of special meaning

Annick Massis Concert (Theatro Sao Pedro)

Two incredible nights. Annick is such a fine artist and with such an impressive repertoire. I remember that in her very last encore I nearly cried at her rendition of “Chi bel sogno di Doretta”. And also her reading of Papa Germont’s letter and “Addio a del passato” was heart breaking and inspired. I was SO lucky to sit in the front row for this concert in both days!

Maryinsky Theater Orchestra plays Stravinsky led by Valery Gergiev (Carnegie Hall)

I’m such a grateful person to have seen this! I guess that’s why I wanna live in NYC, I mean, come on! I stayed there 10 days and was able to watch so many top notch musical performances, like with the absolute best in DA WORLD! Ah well, this concert was incredible. I mean, it’s not every day that I get to see an entire all Russian orchestra play Stravinsky. I was particularly moved when they played “The Rite of Spring” because my history teacher back in college dedicated quite a lot of time to this piece in particular. So to be able to see an orchestra like that play it was something I will never forget! Plus this concert was on the very DAY of Verdi’s 200th anniversary so as a present to the audience maestro Gergiev led the overture of La Forza del Destino that was composed for the Maryinsky theater! By the end I was in tears, tears, tears!

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Joyce DiDonato led by James Levine (Carnegie Hall)

This was one of those things that is on one’s bucket list, again I felt very blessed to have been able to attend this one night only sold out event! First of all y’all know Joyce is one of my personal heroes, so just to get to see her perform was already such a thrill for me. And let me tell you, she was everything I had ever dreamed of and more, such an amazing artist. Then you add the Met Orchestra led by none other than the legendry James Levine and it’s heaven! Seriously, Beethoven’s 7th Symphony was just impossibly gorgeous and the overture of Il Vespri Siciliani being played the WEEK of Verdi’s 200th anniversary was just a marvelous slap of my musically drugged face.

Vesselina Kasarova and the Camerata Berg (Sala Sao Paulo)

Two magical nights in a row! I was already a great fan of Vesselina’s work but to actually see her live right in front of me was so incredible. Plus, as you guys have read in my posts about this concert, she kept looking and smiling at me and my bff for almost half of the concert which was just impossible and insane and wonderful. She did her Mozart and Rossini repertoire which I love and I got to fall in love with her Sesto once again! *sighs*

Best Opera Singer Meetups

Now this is where I get overly emotional like a good Brazilian always does and start crying. I can’t help it though, these are also in alphabetical order because they were all equally awesome.

Annick Massis

Annick is such a generous person and I knew that from the moment she walked on stage she gave it her all to that performance. I will never forget the kindness she showed towards me, looking in my eyes and being sincerely interested in what I had to say. She showed such interest in me I was a bit shocked and even gave me my very first opportunity to sing in a real life masterclass, her masterclass. I look back at those two amazing evenings that I chatted for a while with her after her performances with always a smile on my face.

Joyce DiDonato

I think this was one of the best moments of my life, getting to meet Joyce the way it happened. It was so surreal, first to walk in that room and see her SO DAMN CLOSE and just wait a few minutes that felt like 974298734 hours. Then to get to have her first words uttered to me be my own freaking name, I mean, how cool is that? She’s like one of my heroes and she actually knows who I am and plus was so thrilled that we had finally met and that I went to see her. I mean, that’s daydream material, that’s fanfiction material and it happened to me in real life. I got several hugs and even more kind and amazing words from her. Plus I got to walk around the Carnegie Hall backstage area WITH HER and talk.

Sondra Radvanovsky

Now Sondra is someone who inspires me SO MUCH to pursue this career. She’s also one of my personal heroes and ultimate role model. And I got to see her twice! First time I met her it was in the Met’s stage door area and I was terrified because A- it was my first time stage dooring at the Met B- she walks out and she’s like SUPER TALL C- I’m afraid I won’t be able to speak because of nervousness and/or unexpected tears. So I just stood there like an idiot with my mouth probably hanging opened looking her while she sighed stuff feeling my heart beat in my throat (Lord help me I might choke in my own heart!). She saw me there and walked up to me, took my hand and shook it and said “Hi! I’m Sondra! But you probably know that, right?”, for the first 3 seconds I was frozen but then I regained consciousness and was able to speak fluently and well and we hit it off quite well. After talking to her for a while I told her I’d be watching Norma again on Monday and she proceeded to invite me to go to her dressing room to talk to her after the show on Monday. I nearly had a heart attack then. Monday we met again, in the dressing rooms area backstage at the Met and she was again, SO SWEET and SUPER KIND. Seriously, I wanna be like this lady when I grow up, she’s fabulous and all kinds of wonderful!

Vesselina Kasarova

Vesselina’s heart is the size of a house. And it’s funny because she has such a strong stage presence that me and my bff were a bit apprehensive about going up and talking to her. But she was a bucket of sugar, so sweet I couldn’t believe it. She was particularly fond of us because she saw us in the front row smiling at her every 5 seconds. We both quickly connected with her and had a lovely time talking to her. The second day she waved at us from the stage when she walked in and actually took my hand during one of her last ovations to thank me. That was SO SURREAL!

Well, I guess that’s it for now. In other news I’m NEARLY graduating, I have one grade to come out yet. I pray to God everyday to help me pass, so help me God I WILL!

A Love Letter to Anmeris

EDIT; Ok, this was supposed to be a review of the Aida production I saw last week but I got a tad bit overly excited about Amneris so I think the title explains itself, hun?

What a crazy week! Wow, I was practically out of the house for most of it. But now I'm very happy to say that I'm home for at least the weekend. Before I get down to the subject in hand let me just tell you guys that my friend Xenia, who already has ReJoyce in her grasp, tells me that my picture made it to the CD! HUL! I'm very happy about that. I made all sorts of silly ReJoyce marketing this week in college. Wrote “#ReJoyce is Coming” every where chalk would write in. It was fun.

But what I want to talk about is my new found love for Aida. I know what you might be thinking, that I should already love Aida because it´s one of those IT operas, right? Ah well, let me explain myself then. About seven, six years ago an opera company came to Brazil in tour with Aida. I was 16 at the time and absolutely devoted to musical theater and dance. When my grandma invited me I didn't really want to go, but she told me there'd be loads of dancing, so I went. Well, the dancing itself disappointed me thoroughly, but what I think let me down the most was the fact that they were using microphones. Yeah! In opera, heresy! And I also didn't like the fact that Aida and Radames looked like two McDonald's junkies as opposed to fierce Egyptian/Ethiopian lovers. The only thing I liked was Amneris, especially in the final act when in their staging she’d crawl up steps of huge stairs begging for mercy. I LOVED that actually. 

Well back to modern days, last Saturday was the very first time I went to Theatro Municipal, the big opera house here in São Paulo. I have to tell you I was quite taken aback. The place is gorgeous, it really looks like someplace out of a dream or something. Like a palace, just magical! I was actually glad I was alone because then I could explore the whole building and take my time looking at everything. 

Well, I did go to watch this opera twice this week, on that Saturday and last Thursday so I’m going to try and review both performances at once. It was the exact same cast. Aida was played by the Uruguayan soprano  Maria José Siri, Radames was played by the north american tenor Gregory Kunde and Amneris by Tuija Knihtilä who is from Finland.  

On Saturday I sat on an orchestra seat but it was practically by the walls and directly under the boxes so I couldn't see the subtitles. I figured it was a great excuse to practice my Italian so I sat back and relaxed. Now on Thursday I sat on an orchestra level but center seat which was just my piece of cake, 6th row, perfect view of everything.

  

One good thing about my Saturday location was that I could see the orchestra play, so that was interesting to watch. I find it funny how an opera that is so grand has such a shy overture but I'm not going about to argue with Verdi. Curtain rises and I like what I see, in terms. I’m counting this as my first Aida but even being a newbie to a certain opera I still have historical baggage. The scenery, I think, was appropriate, they were composed by big walls of stone which would move to create different kinds of locations. I found that rather smart and it worked quite well with the lighting design, they were able to create a beautiful atmosphere for the first act finale inside the temple and also a festive and ´grand´ feel to the second act finale.

But, MA, what disappointed me thoroughly in this production was the costume department. I really don't like to criticize especially because I know it's very hard to put up any kind of theatrical performance. But I'm sorry, those costumes looked like something out of a High School production of Aida, the musical. The only costumes that looked the part were Amneris’s. In some cases it seems as if they cut a whole on a piece of eccentric looking fabric and gave it to the chorus to wear. Something that bothered me beyond measure was the fact that the chorus was all dressed in the same costume basically. We had the basses and baritones wearing that said sheet as they were the priests (or something). The tenors wearing clothes that I can't really begin to explain but that were absolutely unflattering to anybodies figure and made them look pregnant. There was a group of about 15 ladies who were wearing a simple blue/greenish dress (the ladies who sang in the second act opening scene). But the other ladies were wearing dresses of the same design in the most horrid khaki color. Egypt must have been in recession and the Princess was the only one who wasn’t informed. The Pharaoh was wearing such simple clothes, I, at first, didn’t realize he was in fact the Pharaoh. I mean it’s Egypt we are talking about, and it’s not nowadays, it’s thousands of years ago, they were in their absolute prime. 

And I know what you might be thinking, who am I to criticize their costumes? Well I’ve worked with the costumes in my theater group for a real long time now and we have a ridiculous budget of $500,00 to buy everything for our plays. From fabrics, to paying the making of the clothes, from scenery to stage objects and let me tell you, some of our costumes are much richer in design and taste than this production's. 

But enough about clothes, the opera itself is so amazing! All of the 3 major singers were in very good shape and I liked what they did with what was given to them. First act with Radames’s opening aria was quite sublime and the audience in both days agreed. One thing I found quite satisfactory was the fact that the house was packed in both days and in both days the applause was absolutely thunderous.

I must admit I'm a big fan of Amneris and also find Aida to be quite dull. Her Ritorna Vincitor was really good but the character never warmed up to me, people on the fence irritate me I guess. And Amneris knows what she wants and is intensively resolute in getting it (aka Radames’s naked body! HA). 

The temple scene was quite beautiful, the production was counting with fine dancers. This scene we had about ten ladies dancing together and a wonderful soloist. Many people have criticized the soloist's costume remarking that she looked like something out of the Avatar movie. But I disagree entirely.  Yes, she was painted in blue, but not for a second did I think of Avatar or Smurfs or The Corpse Bride. I actually thought it worked, it made her stand out a lot and in my conception her character was painted in blue because she was like an oracle or spiritually connected with the Gods or something.

The music composed for this ballet in particular is quite beautiful and what I loved about the choreography was the fact that it was molded in the music. This might sound a bit silly since most choreographies are made based on the music, but I find that the dance told the story of the music, which for me is amazing. I also had never seen so many people on stage in one scene live. Little did I know they'd be able to stuff even more people on that stage on act two. 

Well act two begins and the spot is finally on Amneris, about time! I found it odd how much I adored the music composed for this character, in her scenes and her lines, they just vibrated well with my personal vibrations. It's odd, while Aida or Radames would sing solos it was really wonderful and they were wonderful singers but there was something about Amneris that made me utterly drawn to her. 

The introduction of this scene played by the harp transports you from the depths of the ritual place to a sunny, bright environment where everything seems to be sunshine, cool water and bliss. I might be too crazy but with the harp music I can almost see Amneris lying lazily on overly comfortable cushions while eating grapes and being fanned by huge peacock feathered fans. But in this production she was actually standing and being quite amiable to her female chorus while they sang about Radames. Amneris’s lines were delivered with such heartfelt passion and devotion I couldn't help but warm up to her even more. I mean, she's in love with the guy, she would do everything for him. But what I like the most about her is that she never sets aside her personality for him, she doesn't change for him. Aida does and that's supposed to be our hero, a woman who changes for the likes of a guy. The hero should be the strong women who love and stand their ground with their beliefs. No wonder I'm single hun?   

The ballet for this scene was absolutely adorable. They had six young ones doing what you could call a children's playing choreography. Two girls and four boys played with swords and had a blast of a wonderful time under the watch of the powerful princess. Aida arrives and is left alone with Amneris. Now this duet is quite formidable, love the way Verdi composed the music accompanies Amneris and also her lines. Call me crazy again, but that music sounds like a perfectly poised Egyptian serpent slithering her way into Aida's trust. I find it magical when I can actually grasp how exactly the orchestral music is also telling the story. 

I guess I like Amneris because she's a thoroughly intelligent and perceptive woman, she smells there is something between her lady servant and the high captain of their armies. And since it's such a forbidden love, I'm sure they did their best to hide it, they are not THAT stupid. But even though, Amneris sensed it, because she's smart, perfect modern woman. Plus Aida is also a princess, the least she could do is be more cunning.

Well, Io son l'amica tua. Gee, Amneris is such a Slytherin, she plays Aida like the flute! Tricks her into believing that Radames is dead and then has her answer, Aida does love Radames. Of course she's beyond pissed, how dare Aida have feelings for him? Am I an awful person for thinking that this scene is awesome? Well I don't care, I love it. Amneris wants to show Aida her place so she makes her go to the big festivity that is celebrating Radames’s victorious return.

The music here is also first rate, GLORIA ALL'EGGITO. Oh man, I can't believe I didn't watch this opera before. It's so cool! We have the entire chorus and all the characters on stage at the begging of this scene. As the victorious arrive more and more people fill the stage, dancers and actors. The ballet was gorgeous! This time we had couples dancing to a choreography that looked like a dancy fight. There was a soloist couple who danced extremely well to again very well choreographed modern ballet dance.

The Pharaoh gave Amneris’s hand in marriage to Radames as a gift for saving the country, which made her even more smug and confident, gotta love her! They bring in the war prisoners and amongst them is Aida’s father, who is actually the king of the Ethiopians but passes as a simple soldier. Radames urges the Pharaoh to free the prisoners and after some turmoil he does free them but keeps Aida and her father as hostages.    

Well the most loud and amazing end of act I ever saw in a live opera! It was so loud and wonderful that a couple that was sitting in my box on Saturday actually went home because they thought it was over! I'm so not making that up! Well as usual the intermission flew by and before I knew it the lights dimmed and we were back in ancient Egypt.

I must confess that although the music is gorgeous and the singers were spectacular I missed two things in act three. One of them you must have guessed was Amneris and the other was the big chorus numbers with the catchy melodies. Radames has asked Aida to meet him in secret in the middle of the night. Her father reaches her first and asks her to have Radames tell her where he's leading his troupes. When she denies him that, he grows angry and tells her she's no daughter of his, she's an Egyptian slave now. Again, in the fence Aida irritates me, make up your mind with what you want, not what your father or lover tell you to do. Aida does give in into her father's wishes and as he hides, Radames arrives.

She convinces him to run away and all that jazz, and at first Radames doesn't really want to leave. That's the thing about these epic love stories, people are willing to give up what makes them happy for the sake of being with another person who makes them happy, and at the end of the day they mostly end up dying. I think there's a message there that not many people grasp. It's no use looking for your own happiness in other people, you have to be happy with yourself in order to be able to give happiness to another. I think that's why Radames is so full of love to give to Aida, he's so happy! He just had his life's dream come true, he led the army he had always wanted to command into a glorious victory and saved his patria. It's like working on something you absolutely love and getting that promotion you always dreamed of and thriving beyond your expectations! It's amazing!

Jesus, I'm so getting off topic here! And you guys must think I'm a huge self centered monster, I'm just career driven I guess. Well the plans don't work out very well though. Amneris discovers them and as Aida and her father escape, the guards seize Radames as a traitor.

Now fourth act is AWESOME. You remember that scene I liked way back in 2006 when I first saw this opera? It happened again. Things didn't really go as Amneris had planned, Aida escaped (that bitch) and Radames is to be judged as a traitor. Amneris wants him so bad that she's willing to try and help him in his trial. She calls on him in prison and offers her help and his life, because yeah, he's gonna be sentenced to death if she doesn't intervene. But then comes in love struck tenor who can't think of anybody else but the soprano while the mezzo tries her best to help him. Typical opera! It's so funny I say this since I'm a soprano. 

Radames does irritate me at this point. He's accepted he's going to die and doesn't want any help. While Amneris declares her love to him and tries to spare his life. Heartless prick! But again she's not willing to lower herself or compete with anyone. She tells Radames she will spare him if he NEVER sees Aida again. Something he doesn't agree to do. Something quite awful he says is that he's not afraid of death, he's only afraid of her pity. Ouch, that must have hurt. There was actual fire on Tuija's eyes as she tried to convince him to speak up in his own defense so he wouldn't be sentenced to death. Love, lust, hatred, anger, everything, gee, that woman was out of this world amazing!

As he leaves, Amneris is left alone and we can hear Radames’s trial happening off stage. That, I think is one of my favorite parts in the entire opera. It's quiet and intense, as the high priest asks Radames about his crimes, Amneris listens horrified as Radames remains silent. Her, “Ah pietà... egli è innocente... lo salvate, Numi, pietà!” were so heartfelt and desperate. It seemed as she was being sentenced to death as well. I actually cried watching this scene, it was as if she faded with every accusation and her pleads were in vain. So sad.  As the priests left after giving the death sentence of a traitor to Radames she confronts them, tells them they have thirst for blood and are irrational. But it's no use. The King's justice must be done (isn't that so Game of Thrones).

Radames is in his tiny cell, a tomb actually, where he will be buried alive. Yeah, that sounds pretty awful. But he's quite placid for someone who's going to die like that. Aida finds her way in there, God only knows how, you would think that thing is well guarded but elas, it's not. Stupid in the fence Aida wants to die with him and he wants to die for her and all that, at the end of the day they deserve each other. But their music is quite wonderful and the singers did it justice, I guess I just didn't buy their love story. But I did cry at the end, it's quite mooving when they say the sky is opening up to them to welcome them (A noi si schiude il cielo). It soothes me to think they managed to kill each other quickly or ate some poison so they wouldn't suffer much in that tomb.

Well, the opera ended and the audience was on their feet clapping like crazy! There were loads of young people there which pleased me a lot. I took some pictures of the curtain call, but they aren't really good, I took them with my phone. The applause was crazy, even the veteran singers got emotional with the immense cheer they got. 

On Saturday I ran from the opera house right after the curtain call was over because I was afraid the subway might close. But on Thursday I went to the stage door because I wanted to talk to the singer who played Amneris. Seriously, her performance was so touching I just had to tell her. I didn't know her name or nationality but I was resolute in talking to her. Unfortunately after about 20 minutes she didn't come out and the subway was about to close so I had to rush to get home. The worst part about this was that later as I looked at the program I saw her picture without makeup and she had passed by me and I hadn't recognized her. Yeah, big dumb face I am!

Well, that's basically it! Studying a lot, watching a lot of stuff, singing endlessly! Just how I like it! Peace everyone!