Watching Aida at the Met
After what I thought was a rather dull start, the Met’s production of Aida has come to life. Violeta Urmana is doing a splendid job. The sets are great, the orchestra sounds a bit anemic. Other broadcasts have had a much crisper sound.
The triumphal entry was indeed triumphal. Glad the horses didn’t poop on the stage. With a cast of a hundred, easy. The baritone playing Aida’s father, Amonasro, is very good. Generally, the Ethiopian crew appear to be better actors than the Egyptian gang.
The ballet sequences have all be superb. As is often the case, the TV cameras give us a much better view of what’s going on than seeing a production in person.
With my switch to Ubuntu, I’ll have to modify all my iPod tunes. Not a task that makes my heart glad or one I’ve even begun. But there are a few CDs I have on the iTunes that are worth the effort: Leontyne Price narrating Aida. It’s a storybook recording with excerpts from the opera. It’s Aida told by Leontyne Price
