By Gus Kairupan
By Gus Kairupan
JAKARTA (JP): The grandest of grand opera is surely Aida. It's
a matter of taste, of course, but for sheer spectacle and
spectacular singing I can only think of one to equal Aida, the
best-known of Giuseppe Verdi's operas.
This is Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov -- but, again, it's all a
matter of taste. Aida, first staged in Cairo in 1871, requires an
enormous stage, large enough to include the cast and -- as some
productions reputedly featured -- some elephants.
Whether Verdi did call for the beasts would be doubtful,
though; the cast of priests, priestesses, warriors, guards,
dancers, Ethiopian prisoners and ordinary people would be quite
enough.
Excerpts from the opera, billed A Tribute to Aida, were
presented Thursday at the Grand Hyatt Jakarta by The London Opera
and Concert Company, a group of six British singers.
The opera, whose libretto was written by Antonio Ghislanzoni,
consists of four acts.
Love, hatred, jealousy are acted out against a backdrop of war
in Egypt during the pharaonic period.
Army captain Radames (tenor James Anderson) is smitten by
slave girl Celeste Aida (Heavenly Aida, sung by group leader and
soprano Barbara Segal) who returns his affections.
Amneris, daughter of the king (mezzo soprano Sonja Nerdrum) is
also in love with the captain but suspects something is going on
between Radames and Aida, her slave.
Egypt, thanks to Radames, emerges victorious from a war
against Ethiopia and the king bestows more honors on the captain,
including the hand of Amneris.
Aida (who is actually an Ethiopian princess) is torn between
love for country and her love for Radames.
Egged on by her father, Amonasro (a POW, played by baritone
Mark Glanville), she tricks Radames into revealing the secret
concerning the route Egyptian forces will take to crush the
Ethiopians once and for all.
Radames is caught and sentenced to be buried alive. Aida
manages to slip into the tomb and the two lovers die happily ever
after.
All of the singers performed admirably, although tenor
Anderson occasionally displayed some wobbles when moving between
registers.
The three low-voiced roles were marvelous, especially William
Mackie (the king) and baritone Glenville, who provided the one
dramatic high point of the concert when he roared at daughter
Aida.
Nerdrum was well-nigh faultless as the passionate and jealous
woman scorned.
Segal, whose strong voice and coloring abilities imbued the
role of Aida with fire, is perhaps a bit uncharacteristic for a
slave girl.
But her portrayal of grief and distress in the final scene was
perfect.
The cast performed in full costume and theatrical make-up on a
narrow stage with minimal decor.
Props
Four pillars arranged in a square around a sofa were the only
props in addition to some screens on which were painted a palace
and African landscapes.
A plain backdrop and a bit of imaginative lighting would
probably have been more effective because the screens and what
was painted on them were neither adequately visible nor were they
supportive of the action.
As for the costumes and make-up, these were rich, glittering
and glamorous, in short, everything one would expect from royalty
in ancient Egypt.
But this applied only to the king, high priest, Amneris and
Aida.
Radames's outfit was so poor you'd take him for a commoner
rather than a high ranking military officer who, surely, should
wear some of the regalia attached to one in such a venerable
position.
He also could have done with a hair piece and a better make-up
job (he looked as if he wasn't wearing any) that would make him
look, well, younger.
Amonasro on the other hand needed make-up that would make him
look older than his daughter Aida.
And the most difficult part? That of the musical director and
pianist, of course.
Robin Humphreys was in charge of representing all the various
instruments specifically designated to enhance the roles, e.g.
the flute in the final scene, or the roar of brass.
A more central position of the piano would have considerably
reduced the disjointedness that often marked the performance.