What better way to spend an evening than with a story of love, betrayal and heartbreak against a backdrop of war in Ancient Egypt?
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi and performed by the Ukrainian National Opera, Aida takes the audience on an expedition of emotion.
Picture the stage lit and an air of anticipation. Conductor Puchkov Ihor pops his head above the pit with a lively smile before gently bringing the orchestra to life. The curtains lift. Upon the stage, Egyptian General Radames (Oleksii Srebnytskyi) is quietly hoping that he will be chosen to lead his country in war against Ethiopia that the counsel, Ramfis (Maksym Ivashchuk) has just informed him about. The King confirms it – Radames is joyous!
However, the woman he is besotted with, Aida (Olena Dolhina) just happens to be the daughter of the warrior he is to do battle with. Complicated?
To stir things further, Aida is the servant of Pharaoh’s daughter Amneris (Veronika Koval), also in love with Radames. Her love is a jealous, possessive love and it is this which forms a ghostly spine to the opera throughout. In contrast, Aida’s love is gentler and torn between a love for her father and country, and a love for Radames. She herself is an object of possession, to her father, to her country and to Amneris.
Will Aida choose her father and her country, or lasting love with Radames?
Aida is known for its demanding vocal roles, particularly for the soprano (Dolhina) and mezzo-soprano (Koval). Their voices really come to the fore in the second half, especially during duets with Radames (Srebnytski) whereby the characterisation comes across much clearer.
There is opportunity to be visually striking with the set design for Aida, something Sergei Shepelev made full use of. The recreation of various indoor and outdoor scenes along with a sense of being far away in Ancient Egypt is largely created by two looming statues that are almost ever-present. These double to four towards the end of the play, creating a brilliant, roomy depth on stage. It gives a sense of spectacle.
Whilst the staging was certainly impressive, this did lead to some issues with the curtain rising and falling, causing slight delays during the performance. There were moments where it seemed almost comedic ‘will they be coming back?’ in a coupe of the scene changes. However, this could be an issue particular to the venue. There was also a high-pitched instrument off-key. This had quite an impact on the listeners experience because it was markedly not gelled with the orchestra.
Overall, the performance is a good evening out and the dramatic set design is well worth seeing.
Reviewer: Ezzy LaBelle
Reviewed: 14th February 2023
North West End UK Rating: ★★★★