Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Classical music institutions often see themselves as museums, preserving musical history in amber and bringing it to life briefly for audiences before returning it to storage. That’s a near literal description of revivals of pre-20th-century operas, and it nails Sonja Frisell’s stiff, shallow 1988 production of Aida at the Metropolitan Opera.On New Year’s Eve, the Met replaced that staging with a new production from Michael Mayer, one that blows away the stuffiness and has an ingenious take on how to treat an opera that time has pushed to a distance from our contemporary experiences. He makes the tragic love triangle between Ethiopian princess and Egyptian slave Aida, Egyptian soldier Radamès, and Pharaoh’s daughter Amneris into a tableau vivant that both embraces and subverts how we see this opera. Mayer shines a light on Aida while also framing it with how colonialism brought the cultural heritage of such stories to the west.During the opening Prelude, an early-20th-century archaeologist descends into a tomb. He discovers the relics of Aida’s story, which then comes to life. Costumes are a mix of ancient and art deco styles, there is elegant and witty choreography from Oleg Glushkov — in his house debut — and Mayer brilliantly replaces the chariots and processions of slaves during the Triumphal March with a parade of archaeologists looting the tomb. This Aida is ever present in the past.The cast is stellar, with soprano Angel Blue in the title role, tenor Piotr Beczała as Radamès, mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi as Amneris, and in secondary roles the commanding bass Morris Robinson as the King and the great Verdian baritone Quinn Kelsey as Aida’s father, Amonasro. Music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts this opening run.The singing on opening night was characterful, with the exception of Beczała, who, as general director Peter Gelb explained during the intermission, was recovering from a bad cold. His lower register was generally strong, but his voice grew ragged as it rose, and his pitch was flat and sluggish in “Celeste Aida”. He gained energy as things went along, and by the end did project the character, even if he couldn’t fully sing him.Blue and Kutasi were a superb pair of antagonists. Along with a beautiful sound, Blue is an expressive Verdi singer with an understated manner. She doesn’t chew the scenery, she shapes phrases to their emotional point. This brought out all the conflicted meanings in “Ritorna vincitor!” and also evoked believable affection and peace while facing death in the final duet with Radamès, “Invan! Tutto è finito.”The dimensions and colour of Kutasi’s sound were luscious. She had the vehemence for Amneris’s anger and thirst for revenge, and also the range to deliver warmth in “Quale insolita gioia”. Her palpable pain in the final moments of the production brought a gasp from the audience.★★★★★To May 9, metopera.org
