Aida Falls A Note Too Short
I was excited to go to the Lincoln Center for the first time. I had never been to an opera before, and I liked how we had the opportunity to attend one. I know that opera is not for everyone. My moms good friend attends ALL the time and enjoys every second of it. Her husband on the other hands HATES them. In fact during the end of one opera it took forever for the protagonist to die so he got up out of his seat and screamed “Can you die already?” (true story by the way) I figured I’d just have to attend an opera to make my own judgement.
From the second I saw the beautiful fountain in the front of Lincoln Center, I knew that the inside would just have to be extravagant. The red carpets and classy chandeliers created a rich environment. When we got to our seats in the family circle I was a little disappointed that we were indeed all the way in the back. However, we still had a view so it wasn’t too bad. I was excited for the opera, yet I was anticipating the dread of having to sit through such as long performance.
Aida went by faster than I thought it would. Intermissions were too long though- they made the performance drag on. I was blown away by the intricate set. It was absolutely magnificent! The singing and acting however is a different story… Aida fell short of my expectations. I had high hopes of her after watching the video clips of “Aida” in class. I didn’t find myself feeling her pain and anguish. It was hard to identify with her because she didn’t succeed in connecting with the audience. She didn’t give a vigorous performance. She needed more oomph in her. The same is true of Ramades. He had the same facial expression on the whole time. The most disappointing part though was when Aida was forced to make the decision of betraying her love or betraying her country. Aida’s father was not as angry as he should have been and Aida didn’t fall to pieces and go through an emotional collapse. Her literal collapse to the ground was a bit pathetic, and her singing during this part was not any better. On the other hand, Amneris was phenomenal. I was able to feel how jealous and angry she was. She sang and acted passionately. Aside from Amneris’ performance I was really impressed with the dancers during the victory scene.
As I mentioned earlier, the opera went by faster than I thought, but the last scene dragged on. It took forever for Aida to die. I can’t just blame this opera for that though, I hear that the death scenes always take forever. I think opera’s need to be modernized a little bit, where certain scenes get to the point a little quicker.
Musicals and singing were never my thing and the fact that I sat through a performance of people just singing means something positive. Overall the opera was okay. I wish Aida gave a better performance. But I do feel a lot more cultured after watching Aida. Now I can say I have attended an opera.
I’m really glad Jake came into our class. I knew absolutely nothing about operas before his visit. It was nice to learn about the structure of an opera and what goes into it. I’m glad I was able to understand how an opera works as well as the story line of Aida. That definitely helped me appreciate the opera more.
-Eleni
Posted: December 5th, 2012 under Opera.
