Performance: Aida

Aotea Centre

Review: Tara Werner

When all the spectacle is stripped away, Verdi's Aida is essentially a very intimate opera - a private drama between three main characters, Radames and two women in love with him, Aida and Amneris.

An eternal triangle as ancient as Egypt itself, reflected subtly in the striking sets of this National Business Review New Zealand Opera production.

The shape of the triangle was highlighted in a minimalist setting which made good use of lighting to focus on a pyramid in its many forms, from a prism floating high above the action in Act One, to the large triangular tomb which incarcerates Radames and Aida in Act Four.

Add to that four large obelisks shifted around the stage, effective hieroglyphics plus elegant costumes and the atmosphere was as Egyptian as Tutankhamen's golden mask.

The staging itself may have been as direct as the plot, and sometimes a little too static, but the triumphant march was clever indeed, with a parade of elephants wittily flagged on large dark banners.

It could be said that the sets almost upstaged the singing. Margaret Medlyn as Aida took some time to settle into her role and she seemed quite uncomfortable in Acts 1 and 2. Even though she may have been a slave she still appeared overwhelmed by the sheer authority of Rosalind Plowright's consistently powerful voice as Amneris, the evil Egyptian princess.

Medlyn came much more to the fore in Act 3, easily hitting the top notes in O patria mia and by the famous final duet with Radames, O terra, addio her characterisation was moving indeed.

Although he made a rather portly captain of the Egyptian guard, Carl Tanner's Radames was convincing throughout, from his opening famous aria Celeste Aida to Gia i sacerdoti adunansi, the scene where he finally rejects Amneris.

The supporting roles were equally sturdy, with Richard Green making a truly physical presence as the high priest Ramfis, and Rodney Macann sang a persuasive Amonasro. Roger Wilson as the King of Egypt also sounded forceful. All the choruses were well coordinated, although the same could not be said for the Auckland Philharmonia under conductor Vladimir Kamirski, who were at times not at all in sync with singers in Acts 1 and 2.

Overall, this production has successfully broken the spectre of that infamous outdoor occasion three years ago. It all goes to show that despite its reputation as a lavish spectacular, Aida is a direct and closeknit opera, best left on the stage where it belongs.