Aida is one of the most popular operas worldwide. Because of its wonderful music, popularized thanks to the Triumphal March repeated endlessly in football stadiums. Also because of the "spectacular" label put by all the people who associate this work with lavish, peplum-styled stagings, with lots of singers, dancers on stage. In several cases, performed in historical sites or big stadiums. Its story is also as fascinating since it was born because of the will of the Ismail Pachá, the Egypt Khedive, who actually brought opera to África for the first time. After a long time of reflexion and also reluctance, Verdi accepted. Other candidates for the project were Gounod or Wagner. With a story by Temistocle Solera, after a 18th Century Opera, Nitteti, and a staging by the renowned egyptologist Auguste Mariette, since its premiere in 1871 in Cairo it started a successful performance history until today: from major opera houses to stadiums.
However, behind these luxurious, lavish, glittering ambiance and decoration, there is a love triangle: three people who love intensely, passionately, and suffer a lot for it. A love in which there are involved the war between two nations, and the power of Egyptian clergy, whose criticism is always present in Verdian works. Aida, a woman divided between her loyalty to her defeated nation, an the love for the most brave general of the invading army. Amneris, a powerful, jealous, woman tormented by the unrequitted love to Radames, the courageous general who loves Aida, the princess of the enemy kingdom. This story lies on a beautiful music, as well as spectacular, descriptive, suggesting the psychology of the characters as well as the background, as Act 3 opens with a flute solo suggesting the Nile at night, or its finale not with the typical tutti of the grand opèra whose some conventions it takes (like Don Carlo), but with a tender, ethereal final notes merging the strings and the chorus.
The Teatro Real witnessed the Spanish premiere of Aida on December 12, 1874, and in its old history until 1925, it became one of the most performed operas. However, it has been different in the modern Teatro Real: since its re-opening in 1997, it was only revived three times: 1998, 2018 and now in 2022. In 1998, a new, lavish production was staged to show the technical capacities of the then renewed opera house. Aida was, inexplicably, not seen again until 2018. Maybe to compensate this long absence, it returns four years later, with three casts of the highest level.
Hugo de Ana's staging appears renewed in each revival. The original 1998 production had an omnipresent pyramid. Now, several projections, holograms recreate the Ancient Egypt, and now a big obelisk dominate the stage. During the complete performance, 3D projections of Egyptian temples and statues, as well as images of people dancing or fighting are seen. Despite of helping to introduce into the Egyptian ambiance, these projections can overburden the sight, specially in the upper zones, where they cover much of the stage. For example, the Ptah temple, in which only the obelisk and the sandy floor are visible, but several projections are seen, some of them of people dancing which difficult the vision of the Radames consecration. Leda Lojodice's coreography is a bit strange to me in this scene, with the priestesses' dances now turned into a unbounding mummies one. Act 2 begins with a richly decorated stele, which represents Amneris' chamber. Here, the dances are better developed. The big moment is, obviously, the scene 2, with the grand march, the dances and big chorus. Big stairs, which are presumed to be part of the pyramid, now dominate the scene. Here, we can see the chorus wearing rich, colourful costumes, as well as a big procession of archs, statues, and of course the big dance, here with an interesting result, with the soldiers dancing during the march, and the female slaves seducting the soldiers in the ballet music. Act 3 is one of the best achievements here, now the pyramid, the obelisk and the dark blue lightning representing the night. The final scene is represented with a richly decorated wall, as well as projections of Egyptian gods.
The Teatro Real Orchestra, conducted by Nicola Luisotti, went in a slower tempi than in the Preview. Again, instruments sounded well, with a beautiful rendition of strings in the prelude, the flute in the dances, or the trumpets in Grand March or Radamés' trial. However, one could conclude that the orchestra was more accompaigning than creating. The oboe in O patria mia has to be mentioned by its accomplished performance. The Teatro Real Chorus, as usual, had a glorious night, not only during the Gloria all' Egitto in Act 2, but in breathtaking moments like in the Trial scene, or the Guerra, Guerra in Act One, in which the male choristers sang those lines with such vigorous entonation and projection, sounding amazing as well as menacing.
Anna Netrebko sings again in Madrid a complete staged opera, after her big success as Tosca last year. However, the world is completely different now. There is a war between her country, Russia, and Ukraine. Netrebko, in a very difficult situation, took her time to condemn war. Doing so, she could restart her career in the West, but still the Metropolitan Opera doesn't seem to reprise her contract. On the other hand, as a reprisal, the Siberian Opera in Novosibirsk vetoed her for not being "enough patriotic". Thanks to this, her Madrid contracts didn't need to be cancelled, as she gave her concert last July and now, she sings not only her two scheduled performance but three more, due to the cancellation of Maria Agresta, so the Madrid audience is privileged to have her in five performances. Like in her first one, outside the theatre there are some Ukrainian protesters against her former status in Putin's Russia, even showing her unfortunate picture with an East Ukrainian separatist pro-Russian leader.
Netrebko has returned to delight the Madrid audience with her rendition of Aida, one of her most remarkable roles today. Her voice, now in a maturity stage, has a nice, beautiful tone, still with amazing high notes and filling the hall with her magnetism on stage. In the Numi, Pietà, she showed her amazing high register. Her voice could sound a bit worn because of the repertoire she has sung throughout her career, more recently the extremely difficult part of Turandot. In Act 3, she really reached her peak, starting with an unforgettable, exquisitely sung O Patria Mia, sung with tenderness, melancholy, and commanding the legato, the style, the high notes, all of them making the audience to go wild with an outstanding ovation she had at the end. During the rest of the act, she maintained that level, now with her dramatic portray of Aida's anguish in the duets with Amonasro and Radames. In the final duet, she sang again with her amazing high register, and beautiful pianissimi from Vedi? di morte l'angelo, and concluding with a delicious singing of O Terra Addio.
Her Aida is a suffering woman, but with strong temper, and energical, contrasting with the more frail portrait of Krassimira Stoyanova in the first cast. She was by far not only the most ovationed singer, but also the star, the leading singer in the cast.
Jorge de León sings Radames, a role he has sung in many theatres worldwide. The voice is powerful as usual, but also in a mature stage. Tone is heroic as usual, but sometimes it sounds a bit gutural, as a result of the beavy repertoire he has sung in the past decade. The Celeste Aida was really vigorous, sung at a full voice. However, he got some boo from the mezzanine. During the rest of the show he maintained that level. He regained vocal strenght and stamina for Act 3, specially in the breathtaking final line "Sacerdote, io resto a te". He sang also a convincing, sorrowful as well as heroic rendition of La Fatal pietra.
Ketevan Kemoklidze was an Amneris with a big, dark, seducting mezzo-soprano tone, as well as with a dramatic intonation, which made her final scene in Act 4 really successful.
Simón Orfila was a well sung Ramfis, with a good rendition of the trial scene.
Gevorg Hakobyan was a great surprise with his powerful, well-sung Amonasro, which emanated authority and was impressive, maybe because of his somewhat rough tone, which is convenient for this role.
As the Pharaoh, Deyan Vatchkov had the low register, but lacked volume. Jacquelina Liveri was a good Priestess, as well as Fabián Lara sang well the small role of the Messenger.
The current season couldn't have had a better start, with one of the most beloved titles of the audience, in a well received performance. Anna Netrebko showed why she is one of the best Aidas available in the present-day operatic world.
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