Review: AIDA in Taormina: two performances with different performers in the ancient Greek theater for the 2017 edition of the “Taormina Opera Stars”
By Natalia Di Bartolo ©DiBartolocritic
19 and 21 August 2017
Theaters are sacred places in the writer's imagination: comparable to temples, to which respect and care are due. Even more so when it comes to monuments that have defied the millennia and are still standing to testify to the greatness of the land that hosts them. Full Magna Graecia for the Greek theater of Taormina, a monument of inestimable value.
The fusion between the ancient stones of what remains of the original scene and the modern scenes should also respect adequate canons and often works with intimate or otherwise non-spectacular settings do not lend themselves well to such scenarios. Therefore, if there is a spectacular opera par excellence, this is Aida. And theaters like the one in Taormina seem made specifically to host shows that require an expenditure of scenographic means and the use of choral and dance masses.
So this year Aida had the great theater of Taormina as its illustrious "container" for the 2017 edition of the "Taormina Opera Stars", under the artistic direction of Davide Dellisanti and created by the Aldebaran association, of which Maurizio Gullotta is the creator and Antonio Lombardo.
Two performances in total, but of great commitment for everyone, from the workers to the performers, in a scenography that presented itself as a glance as soon as the spectators entered with an empty stage, blended very well with the ancient stones mentioned above. The public felt the expectation that that sumptuous Egyptian setting, on which six obelisks would stand and fanned large flabelli, would be populated. Audience that filled the theater with a sold out at the second performance.
The premiere was held on August 19th. The Sicilian summer is almost never mild, but the spectators braved the heat and crowded together early in the monumental auditorium.
A difficult opera, Verdi's masterpiece on the banks of the Nile, which saw soprano Marianna Cappellani as the protagonist in the title role for the first time. Pleasant voice, Cappellani, making her debut in the role, but not with particular projection, perhaps a little’ subtle and immature for Verdi's part: it was a measured and inconspicuous Aida.
Ines Olabarria's Amneris is theatrically effective, even though her voice has a wide and not always pleasant vibrato; less interesting and "in part" is José Concepcion's Radames, with a modest projection and uncertain emission; more, however, Andrea Carnevale's Amonasro, equipped with a robust and well-supported voice, as well as a great wig, and Munkyu Park's Ramfis, who could also improve his diction. The two artists covered their respective roles in both performances.
In the performance on 21 August, due to a sudden indisposition of the titleholder of the role, the soprano Carmela Apollonio, director of the production, took to the stage as the protagonist of the opera, rendering a pregnant Aida, with a round voice and adequate projection. The contribution of the soprano with her burnished and dramatic timbre gave the performance an extra edge and the well-known artist, who had not played Aida for some time and whose return to the stage aroused the curiosity of many spectators, achieved a well-deserved success throughout personal.
Silvia Pasini's Amneris, making her debut in the role, was very expressive, correct and flawless: which benefited the duets with Aida, with two very respectable voices; Angelo Forte's Radames was vibrant and did justice to Verdi's role with an appreciable “Celeste Aida”, which was much applauded. The commitment of all the other performers is commendable.
The Sicilian Lyric Choir, directed by Maestro Francesco Costa, expressed itself at its best in both performances, especially in the second, also trying to fill the immense stage of Taormina and extricating itself from the complicated scenic movements: it is clear that the choral team intends turn towards an increasingly high-quality future with commitment and passion. This Aida in Taormina was a difficult test for the beautiful voices that make up the ensemble. The choruses in this work are very difficult, setting traps, also offering room for unwritten staccatos which must instead be tied together with care and attention. The wind instruments, the support, the flow of the emission demonstrated the technical abilities of the Sicilian Choir, which thus proved to be pleasantly effective. The spectators rewarded the great team work at the end of both performances with heartfelt and thunderous applause.
Alessandra Scalambrino's dance troupe was well blended, animating the scene in both performances, especially with colors and gestures of Egyptian ancestry. The show requires "spectacle" and the dances in Aida are fundamental: even towards the two solo dancers, Mariachiara Grasso and Dario Gullotta, the public expressed unanimous approval.
The direction of Maestro David Crescenzi proved to be attentive and scrupulous, coordinating the mystical gulf and the stage in a job that was not easy also due to the presence of the band off stage. The orchestra, despite the Maestro indulging in some agogic slowness to try to blend the sections and get the best out of the dynamics, did not always prove to be well blended, but still supported Verdi's masterpiece and was better coordinated with the second performance.
At the beginning we mentioned the scenes by Daniele Barbera created by the set designer Alfredo Troisi: pleasant, spectacular, well lit; just as the costumes were beautiful, very well looked after.
Carmela Apollonio's direction would have needed a greater number of extras on stage, especially in the triumph, but we know that shows of this kind are very expensive and that extras in Aida would never be enough; and in any case the director stuck to tradition and therefore conducted the show correctly.
Applauding and satisfied audience, particularly at the second performance, in a festive atmosphere which underlined how summer opera events are always welcome, especially to the crowds of tourists who invade Taormina particularly in the summer months, complete with school-age children in tow also at the Opera.
But, fortunately, we saw some cell phones turned on around, not for chatting during the show, but with the screen open on Ghislanzoni's booklet for children to read to follow the plot. Which is no small thing, in August, in Taormina.
Natalia Di Bartolo ©DiBartolocritic
PHOTOS Giacomo Orlando, AA.VV.