aida
I have to say, I was really excited to see Aida. Now that I feel more comfortable frequenting museums and art installations, I was kind of hoping that the opera would become more accessible to me too. And it did, but it was kind of alienating in a way?
I walked in with a few people and we immediately got dirty looks from other attendees — and that kind of put me off from the start. I felt really out of place? I like to think of myself as a social chameleon of sorts, because it’s really easy for me to adopt certain habits and practices in order to fit in. But in this case, I felt more compelled to accentuate my differences as a means of showing up the competition, per se.
Anyway, obvious class differences aside, I thought it was a moderately enjoyable experience. I really regret not bringing food, though. (And God knows that I didn’t want to shell out $14 for a sandwich the size of my palm.)
Amneris easily outshone Aida in terms of acting and singing. When one of the supporting characters trumps the lead…well, that’s not exactly a good thing.
Amneris, though manipulative, was a strong and passionate and fiery about her love. She was everything Aida wasn’t.
And that brings me to my next point, which is that I really dislike Aida as a character. For a protagonist, she sure is weak-willed. ! How am I supposed to believe that she loves Radames and Ethopia with such burning intensity when she refuses to act upon anything? She only tricked Radames at her father’s behest — and she wasn’t even happy about it. Her actions are the extension of other people’s desires, and I was really annoyed with her passivity.
I also thought the choreography was a little out of sync.
I’m coming off a little too critical here, aren’t I? Well, I loved the costumes. I loved the antsy horses. And most of all, I love the orchestrated music. I’ve had Aida’s signature theme stuck in my head all week.
I’d quite like to go to an opera again — maybe I’ll go see Carmen? I’m glad I know what to expect, and I know now to painstakingly deconstruct the libretto beforehand.
– damla
Posted: December 6th, 2012 under Opera, Reviews.
