The Washington National Opera celebrates its 70th anniversary with a revival of its 2017 contemporary production of Aida, in which Egypt and Ethiopia became any two African countries at war. The diverse cast of singers and dancers includes performers of various ages, genders and races to reflect the dynamic vibe of the nation's capital rather than of the ancient Egypt. The visually striking staging with militaristic elements, calligraphic symbols, colorful costumes, fanfares and confetti is likely to appeal to the local audience, especially the young, but some may find the mish-mash of styles and activities on the stage somewhat distracting.
The production envisioned by Francesca Zambello and co-produced by several U.S. companies premiered in 2012 at Glimmerglass Opera and subsequently traveled to San Francisco, Washington D.C., Seattle, Los Angeles and Chicago while New York's Metropolitan stuck to its own mostly traditional staging.
To see Zambello's modern vision of the historic drama eight years ago in DC was refreshing, despite its unattractive elements such as Aida's attire - an ugly purple dress with a forest green wrap. When the same dress reappeared in the new staging, one had to wonder if there was a reason for such choice of colors. Ethiopian national colors are green, yellow and red, but of course, this production did not necessarily depict a conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt. Asked about it after the Friday premiere in Washington, Zambello clarified that the colors were not symbolic of anything except perhaps purple for Aida's royal lineage and that the enslaved princess was dressed in colors that no one else wore to distinguish her as a foreigner among enemies.
The dark opening sets were followed with brightly colored ones, decorated with hieroglyphs and calligraphy from RETNA, an artist who began with graffiti in the streets of Los Angeles. His designs are an unusual mix of African, not necessarily Egyptian, symbols with some hinting at Asian calligraphy, especially the central ones rendered in vermillion red. Unlike classical settings that seek to reproduce some of the colors from ancient Egyptian wall drawings, such as turquoise, green, terracotta and dark yellow, the oversized black and red symbols in this production are set agains bright red and royal blue backgrounds.
Although Aida as a typical grand opera includes some dance scenes, this production abounds with them. Soldiers dance in their uniforms, spirits of gods dance, and even a group of kids dressed as offspring of colonial Brits break into some dance antics on the stage. The Nile scene brings in peace on the stage to highlight the turbulence of Aida's thoughts as she awaits Radamès. Meanwhile, she is startled by her father Amonasro, originally the Ethiopian king, who in this production looks like a comrade straight from Mao's China. His green workman suit and hat matching the green in Aida's outfit distinguish the two from their conquerors, but also bring to mind current U.S. relations with China and spark a question if this was a deliberate hint.
The costumes by Anita Yavich are a salad of styles: Amneris wears bright yellow or blue silky kaftans. Her companions are sometimes covered in white robes, but in one scene the robes go down to give way to silky dresses that look almost like Japanese kimonos and one is reminded of Madama Butterfly arriving to Pinkerton's home with her female retinue. Chief goddess Isis is dancing in a scintillating plissé dress with golden wings, of the kind befitting a Met Institute costume gala.
The final tomb scene, bleak thought it is, maybe the only element in this production that is true to ancient Egypt. Thought we all think of the famous tombs inside the pyramids as being elaborately decorated, those colorful walls often precede dark and claustrophobic chambers where the dead bodies were laid. The solemnity of the opera's closing scene was disrupted by the appearance of Amneris on top of the tomb, which caused some giggle in the audience.
The opening night cast was a mixed bag. Much lauded soprano Jennifer Rowley was a bit of a disappointment despite her strong voice and generally good singing, which was marred by overpronounced vibrato. Her acting was passionate, but relied mostly on cliché theatrical gestures that were not quite convincing. Overall, she often appeared to me more like Cinderella than Aida.
British tenor Adam Smith has a powerful voice that carried over the orchestra most of the time. (It is always a bad idea to give a member of the press a seat all the way by a side wall because they then cannot properly hear a singer who turns his back to that part of the audience.) Smith could certainly belt out high notes, but lacked the warm ringing tone that would make his performance memorable.
Raehan Bryce-Davis had perhaps the most beautiful voice of the evening. Her warm mellifluous mezzo was a pleasure to hear. In terms of acting, sadly, it was hard to tell if she was glad, mad or sad. She appeared too benevolent for the fiery, jealous character of Amneris. Another problem is her Italian. With muffled consonants, one could not understand what she sang unless you knew the verse by heart. One example is "E in poter di costoro io stessa lo gettai!" in the crucial judgement scene.
Shenyang was the most unusual Amonasro I have ever seen and despite good singing did not project the image of a dignified king in captivity. Morris Robinson as Ramfis, and Kevin Short as the conquering king were adequate, but not unforgettable.
The best singing of the evening for this reviewer came from the WNO chorus - clear, sharp, dynamic or gentle as needed with excellent pronunciation. Conductor Kwamé Ryan maintained a dynamic tempo throughout the evening even though he sometimes struggled to keep the singers and orchestra together.
Since 1990, WNO has produced Aida four times. The most successful was probably its 2003 Aida, performed at the Daughters of the American Revolution hall during the renovations at the Kennedy Center. The two casts included Michele Crider as Aida, Maria Guleghina as Amneris and Richard Margison as Radamès alternating with Guleghina as Aida, Franco Farina as Radamès and Marianne Cornetti as Amneris. Amonasro was Mark Delavan. Conducted by maestro Heinz Fricke, a more simple staging with projected imagery has left a memorable impression that will be hard to match for years to come. A perfect example of how to achieve more with less.
Zambello's enthusiasm for making classical works attractive to contemporary audiences and offering completely new operas that reflect American values and life styles is commendable. One notable example is Jeannine Tesori's Blue, with a libretto by Tazewell Thompson. Her bold and inclusive choice of artists can provide a much needed fresh look at timeless pieces as long as she stays focused on the work's central idea.
