Bridgewater Hall, Manchester- Tuesday 4th June 2019.
Reviewed by Joseph Everton.
5*****
Opera North always bring something fresh and exciting to their productions and this spin on Verdi’s Aida, the work of designer Joanna Parker, director Annabel Arden and distinguished conductor, Sir Richard Armstrong, impresses with a number of interesting twists. The cast, including a familiar face in Rafael Rojas, delivered stellar vocals which thundered into every corner of the impressive Bridgewater Hall.
After beating back the Ethiopian army, Radames (Rafael Rojas), an Egyptian general, is confronted with the choice between love of his country or the beautiful Ethiopian, Aida (Alexandra Zabala), in one of Opera North’s new large scale works, tailored to showings in concert venues, rather than theatres. With the orchestra taking centre stage, released from the pit of a conventional theatre, and the chorus almost part of the watching crowd, Aida was a real feast for both the eyes and the ears.
Projections added depth to the performance, drawing your eyes to scenes of modern conflict and cities devastated by war splashed across a distressed changing cloth. These images, which might have been scenes from middle eastern war zones, were combined with projections of Aida’s despairing facial expressions, filmed by a cleverly-placed onstage camera.
Bridgewater Hall is a large space to fill but the exceptional vocals of the cast, combined with the excellent orchestra and the ever present chorus, playing citizens of the warring states, filled the hall with drama and wonderful sound