The Arts in NYC Fall 2012

Like many of us, I was pretty hesitant, at first, about attending the opera. Simply looking at images of Lincoln Center and at commercials for upcoming performances were quite overwhelming because of the great sophistication they exuded – way too ‘classy’ for me. I figured that a bunch of 18-year-old college freshmen at an opera – sung for over 3 hours in Italian – would not be the most ideal trip. Fortunately, I was wrong.

Our seats were obviously not the best for viewing the stage, but it gave me a great view of the orchestra. Before the performers appeared on stage, the orchestra played – what I recall to be – an impactful opening piece. It was absolutely moving to hear such skilled musicians play and to see the conductor fervently lead the orchestra. As a matter of fact, I often glanced between the stage and the English subtitles in front of me to the orchestra just to watch, as a fellow classmate commented, “intense looks on their faces. It was obvious that playing music was their dream, and they definitely put in their 10,000 hours.”

As for “Aida” itself, Acts I and II were the opera’s highlights. They seemed to have just flown right on by. I was captivated by the strength of Radames’ voice. I also found him to be a good actor. Initially, I was not impressed with Aida. I still do not think that her acting skills were on point and her voice did not move me. Although she hit some beautifully high notes and knows how to work the dynamics of her voice. Amneris’ voice was not all too captivating, but she knew how to sing in a way that very easily reflected the words of her song. I believe that she had the best connection between how she sang and what she sang about. One could tell whether she was raging with jealousy, distraught, or in the middle of one of her strategic and manipulative tactics.

Acts I and II were also home to incredible set and costume designing – let us not forget those fidgety horses either!

I was quite disappointed by Acts III and IV. Those acts seemed endless and, quite honestly, were dragged out for much longer than they needed to be. I was very disappointed with Aida’s performance when Amansaro refers to her as Radames’ slave. Aida, a Ethiopian princess, your father has just called you the slave of an Egyptian king and all you have to say to that is ‘ohh!’ This was such a pivotal moment in the opera and Aida’s reaction did not suffice – especially when compared to that of the other Aida in the YouTube video we saw with Professor Cohen. Moreover, the ending acts, in general, were too anti-climactic. Acts I and II were incomparably vibrant and lively even though the turning points were mainly in the last two acts.

The adequate lengths of and appropriate spacing of the intermissions between the “Aida’s” acts provided some relief from the music and singing, but there could have been a longer pause in the third act. Really, there could have been. 🙂

There are many other things I wanted to make mention of, but the opera is kind of a blur for me no.w Overall though, it was a pleasure to see “Aida” and with Professor Jacob Cohen’s help, I was able to understand much more had I only read the libretto.

– Salma

P.S. I put this YouTube link to a popular Egyptian movie that was released years ago, 1999 to be exact, but “Aida” drew me back to it because of Verdi’s triumphant march. There is also an “Aida” reference – which I missed as a young girl – but am now familiar with. It is also pretty funny.

(I’ve linked it to where it should start (1:05:10), so just hit play and enjoy until 1:06:20 … unless of course you want to watch the rest of it … in Arabic.)