what is aida about?- Page 2

[ponine24601]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 10:29pm

*pulls MC out of the corner* i'll help you get through it. LIFE SUPPORT!

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 10:30pm

I think it was an inferior production of Aida. I've never been a huge fan of opera, but even my opera-loving friend hated it.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 10:32pm

I've never seen the opera, so I can't really compare, but I *have* heard part of a recording of the opera, and the music is wonderful.

Okay, ponine. *slowly emerges from corner*
5 weeks.

[insomniak]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 10:59pm

Emcee, can you tell me more about the Aida book? I didn't know there was one.

As for the Rent book, I loved it. It provides a lot of insight into the show's writing and workshop processess. There are some very touching things in there about Jonathan and how his death affected the production, and what the show meant to the people involved. Plus *shameless plug* Adam pictures!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 11:01pm

Just go to amazon.com or bn.com (Barnes and Noble) and search for Aida: The Making of the Broadway Musical.
IM/PM me if you want.

Updated On: 7/29/04 at 11:01 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 11:01pm

The last time I saw the opera at The Met, the soprano playing Aida was so mediocre that she didn't have any range above a high A (and the role is chockful of high Cs, Bs and B-flats). The production itself was so poorly sung, ineptly acted and sluggishly paced that I left shortly after the Nile scene in Act Four, disgusted (and I love this opera).

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 11:02pm

That's such a shame, Margo... especially for such a great work. I'm sure it'll be put on again, though, no?

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 11:10pm

There was a live animal pageant in the production I saw (camels, a tiger, and finally a real live elephant), and they received much louder applause than the performers did.

I felt bad for the animals, actually. There is no way they were treating that elephant humanely; how did they fit her backstage, and where do they store her after curtain call?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/29/04 at 11:20pm

It's on nearly every season for a dozen performances or so (it's one of the most popular and most performed in Met history -- over a 1000 performances in 100+ years). Th problem is there just aren't a lot of great Verdi sopranos out there (characterized generally by large effortless power with a rich, lyrical quality and the ability to sing very long legato lines). There are some big heavy voices out there, but most lack the necessary lyricism and there are some pretty lyrical voices that lack the needed power -- up until the 60's, there were dozens of first rate singers who could handle Aida, the two Leonoras, Desdemona and Violetta. Not any more.

Updated On: 7/30/04 at 11:20 PM

[crp2000]

Posted: 7/30/04 at 7:38pm

My favorite show - definitely worth seeing.
Am looking forward to seeing the opera soon also.

And let us never forget that DEBORAH COX IS A SUPERSTAR and indeed the best since Heather Headley (who's also a SUPERSTAR)!!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/30/04 at 7:47pm

Margo - you've made me nervous. Next January we're seeing AIDA here in LA (Domingo's stomping grounds) with Michele Crider as Aida. It says she sang it at the Met in their 2002-3 season. Is that who you saw? If it is, could enough have changed in 2 years? Radames is Franco Farina, and Amneris is Irina Mishura. It's a revival for the LA Opera that they did with the Houston Grand Opera. Updated On: 7/30/04 at 07:47 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/30/04 at 8:32pm

I've seen Crider and she's not who I was talking about (that was a certain mediocre, frightfully zaftig soprano who shall remain nameless). I saw Crider sing Madame Butterfly and she's terrific -- a powerful, intense dramatic voice who is capable of soft, lyrical singing above the staff. She reminds me a bit of Martina Arroyo (if you remember her) and should be a very good Aida (her reviews here were quite good).

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/30/04 at 8:36pm

Aida is about...um.....wait it had a story line?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/30/04 at 8:38pm

Whoa. Yes.
If I hated Wicked, I'd have a comment to make, but I don't... and I'm just too nice.