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Verdi, Aida:   Soloists,  Chorus and Orchestra of Greek National Opera, – conductor: Carlo Montanaro, Herod Atticus Theater – Athens, 18.6.2009 (BM)

Dimitra Theodossiou as Aida

For anyone needing to be reminded that Aida is probably the most popular tourist opera of all time, the ancient Greek Herod Atticus Theater at the foot of the Acropolis was the place to be a few days ago -  for Greek National Opera’s annual contribution to the Athens Festival. Hardly a surprise, since Giovanni Pacor, GNO’s artistic director, used to be in charge of the Arena di Verona (and guess where this production was from?) Clearly, he hasn’t tired of those typical Verona stagings…but in this case, he can hardly be blamed, since part of the purpose of recruiting him to Athens was to get a company close to bankruptcy to cough up some cash. This Aida must have been worth her weight in gold, gold being the theme of the clichéd sets and the attire of an audience of about 5000 which had the theatre bursting at the seams: or at the cracks in the marble they sat on in this most uncomfortable but most beautiful of Athens theaters, where seats are considerably more expensive than at GNO’s winter abode. The performance started over half an hour behind schedule and the interval was drawn out almost interminably as everyone climbed down and then back up the ancient steps.

There is little to say about Ignacio Garcia’s well-worn ‘stand – and – deliver’ version of this Verdi warhorse. If it hadn’t been for all the weighty costumes (Carla Galleri, Domenico Franchi) and bombastic sets (Giuseppe De Filippi Venezia), this might as well have been a concert performance, and things felt considerably better as long as one pretended that that's what it was, although the painfully outdated ballet interludes spoiled even that effect.

Jose Balestrini’s Radames was not overly well received, since he was almost inaudible at times, but this was certainly in part the fault of the orchestra for not accommodating his subtler sound. In fact, it was quite refreshing for once to hear a singer not attempting to shout his way through this part. Having said that, his is not a big voice, and his delicate timbre would no doubt be more suited roles less linked to great expectations in terms of volume - at least for the time being. Christophoros Stamboglis as Ramfis and Yannis Yannissis as Amonasro both put in decent appearances, while Malgorzata Walewska as Amneris, though in good voice, was completely introverted and opposed to anything resembling acting, while a booming Dimitris Kassioumis as the King of Egypt was particularly respectable. Eleni Voudouraki deserves special mention for her shining albeit brief contribution as the Priestess. Dimitra Theodossiou, giving her debut as Aida, was the saving grace of the evening. Her outstanding past performances would seem to leave almost no room for improvement, but she just keeps on growing, refining the pianissimo technique so essential to this title role and also her exquisite phrasing, every single time she appears on stage. Wherever she may happen to be singing, whatever you invest in a ticket will be money well spent.

I hasten to add that the orchestra under Carlo Montanaro, despite the de rigueur blare of the triumphal march, was yet another redeeming factor. The trance-like feeling at the beginning of the Nile scene was brought out beautifully, and the oboe solos and low register flute playing were superb, although on the whole the ensemble did better on its own than in conjunction with the singers (which, however, happens to be the whole point of opera…).

Not exactly a thrilling evening then, and one can only hope that the proceeds will go towards more exciting ones in the near future. There's need to attract quite so many tourists now, as they will presumably come to Athens anyway to see the new Acropolis Museum.

Bettina Mara

Picture © Stefanos

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