Cincinnati Opera’s Aida unforgettable

By Burt Saidel

Somehow, I knew that Artistic Director Evans Mirageas and his talented staff would take Aida “somewhere else.”  Giuseppe Verdi’s grandest of all operas, the tragic love triangle Aida, has become synonymous with spectacle.

A marketing genius, half a century ago, introduced live elephants into Aida when it was given at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.  Since that time, and those unwieldy performances repeated into operatic oblivion, the marvelous tale of love, loyalty and tragedy has been given an unfortunate twist.

Aida is grand opera, but it is a dramatic opera of intimate relationships and even more intimate moments.  So many productions lose this important essence, concentrating on set arias, an overdone triumphal march and a zoo parade.

Dayton Opera opened the Schuster Center with a great Aida.  The production was dramatically exciting and musically inspiring. Cincinnati Opera has taken the “rediscovery of Aida” one step further as it closes its 2007 summer festival.

The production, setting records for tastefulness and opulence, was shared with three other major companies.  Stage director Bliss Hebert had already set the production on Florida Grand Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre.  That experience, his incredible feel for the heart of Aida and the resources of Cincinnati Opera made this Aida a symbol of perfection.  

All opera is music. Verdi operas have the music as their very soul. The Cincinnati Symphony players, under the baton of Richard Buckley, made every opportunity glow with musical sensitivity – even in the most forte passages.

The set created a world of Egyptian inspired abstraction and unabashed opulence. The scenes moved easily but the essence was never lost.  The audience was transported to an Egypt of Verdi’s dreams, which have become our dreams, as well. With the spirit of the music and under the atmosphere of the set, the fine cast was
able to make Aida’s fundamental nature come to brilliant life.

A series of very artistic tableaux introduced the characters during the overture, easily melding into the opening scene.  One of the toughest “jobs” in all opera is the role of our hero Radames.  He has to sing one of the greatest arias, “Celeste Aida,” after only a few notes to warm up the pipes.  It is a bona fide “tenor terror.”

Canadian tenor Richard Margison has proven himself in challenging roles such as Faust in Chicago’s Mefistofile and King Gustavus in last season’s Cincinnati “Masked Ball.”  Physically, Margison is not heroic.  When he sings, however, you get the feeling that he can “leap tall buildings in a single bound.”

He nailed the difficult and emotional aria perfectly.  From that moment, I knew that we were to experience something great – and my prediction was perfect.

The other leading characters, Aida, the Ethiopian captive slave and Amneris, the Pharaoh’s daughter, both love Radames.  Radames loves Aida and thence begins the tragedy.  

In the title role, Pennsylvania soprano Lisa Daltirus lived up to her press notices.  A graceful and beautiful woman, her clear and powerful voice embraced the musical opportunities.

The character of Amneris is open to great interpretation.  Russian soprano Irina Mishura, remembered for her Cincinnati debut as Carmen in 1997, gave Amneris the aura of a young woman in love, hoping for that love to be returned.  Costumed in tasteful magnificence, the handsome and vocally convincing Mishura gave Amneris dimensions which are often missed.

There was spectacle abounding. The chorus, numbering more than 80, was clad in gold.  In fact, the entire opera was clad in gold.  The masked singers created phalanxes electric in effect and musically inspiring.

The Triumphal March was definitely there, in its musical glory.  The costumes and the opulent stage setting still allowed the contact among the lovers to remain on a personal, almost intimate plane.  The vocal lines were simple and direct; the subtleties come from the music, coloring the meaning of the words effectively and beautifully.  

The director did pay homage to the animal tradition. Instead of an animalian extravaganza, one animal, a majestic eagle, preceded the hero Radames.  The bird was dignified and imposing as it flapped its huge wings and proudly raised its head as if surveying the scene.  

The traditional ballet was so well conceived and integrated.  Choreographer Rosa Mercedes has to share honors with the costumer Allen Klein.  The dancers appeared gilded, moving sensuously among the masses on stage like a needed punctuation mark in a poetic sentence.  

The drama continued to unfold maintaining the critical ambiance.  The tests of love and loyalty stood the tension between Aida’s father, Amonasro, King of Ethiopia and Ramfis, the high priest.  Both were opposing forces in the polar contest.  As Amonasro, American baritone Gordon Hawkins made an imposing figure.  Often vocally overshadowed, his dramatic acting moved the agon effectively.  Turkish bass Burak Bilgili’s magnificent bass voice gave the needed monolithic authority to the drama.

To its tragic end, the opera maintained the magic.  I may never see another like it but relish the experience and the golden memory of this truly “golden opera.”

Thanks to the extra performances, Sunday July 29 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday July 31 at 8 p.m., my dear readers have an unusual opportunity.  If you read this on Tuesday, July 31, you can see the final performance of Aida and the Cincinnati Summer Festival.  I urge you, no I order you, to call immediately (513) 241-2742 and beg for tickets. Failing that, go to Music Hall and besiege the ticket office.  You will never forget it!

Host families needed for German HS orchestra

The St. Stephan’s High School orchestra from Augsburg, Germany will be in Dayton Aug. 4 – 8, 2007. This marks the 11th Dayton visit by the Benedictine school’s orchestra over the past 33 years.  Augsburg has been a Dayton Sister City for
over 40 years. The group will include 38 boys and 15 girls, ages 13 to 20. The students will arrive on Sunday and leave Wednesday. They will perform at a free public concert at RiverScape MetroPark on Sunday evening, Aug. 5. The con cert will be followed by a laser show.

Residents of Oakwood and surrounding communities interested in hosting a student (a four-night stay) are asked to contact one of the coordinating committee members:

Bob Wolff T: 229-2972 or 253-7339 E: rwolff@udayton.edu
Victoria Denney T: 307-8625 E: vdenney@coxohio.com
Sarah Hackenbracht T: 657-1413 E: slh@dacc.org
Mary Franz T: 372-0448 E: mkfranz@juno.com

DAI Twilight Concerts schedule for August

Each year during July and August the Dayton Art Institute presents a series of Twilight Concerts featuring performances by local artists. This year’s schedule, now in progress, continues with its weekly Thursday performances and is as follows:

Thursday, August 9

David Wion and Friends -- the music of Broadway

Thursday, August 16

Dayton Area Harp Ensemble

Thursday, August 30

The Women of Musica -- vocal solos, duos, and trios

All Twilight Concerts are free and begin at 7 p.m. For more information call the Dayton Art Institute, 223-5277.

Muse’s Too Darn Hot celebrates Cole Porter

The Muse Machine invites you to turn up the heat on an August evening with the hottest music and dance numbers in town!  Too Darn Hot, sponsored by MeadWestvaco, celebrates the music of Cole Porter and his contemporaries, including Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin, among others.  

Nat Horne, David Düsing, Lula Elzy and Doug Merk are excited to return as the creative team that brings this show to life; and nearly 200 Muse singers, dancers and musicians, including Oakwood residents Jasmine Al-Masri, Hannah Brown, Kaja Burke-Williams, Keta Burke-Williams, Joanna Draper, Nicolas Hac, Torey Hollingsworth, Jaclynn Hootman, Annabeth Kane, Katie Mauch, Alexandra Millard, Anna Millard, Ara Millard, Alexandra Morris, Jen Payne, Joanie Payne, Jon Payne, Sarah Ratton, Madison Reger, Ruth Reveal, Tyler Rife, Abby Scharrer and Micah Stock, will perform hit songs that include “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “What is This Thing Called Love”, “We’re having a Heat Wave” and “Take the ‘A’ Train.”

The nearly 200 Muse singers, dancers and musicians in the production of Too Darn Hot.

The music of Cole Porter and his contemporaries has had a profound impact on much of the jazz composition and performance that has followed.  Doug Merk, the producer of Too Darn Hot, states, “We hear Cole Porter’s music all the time today. This is a man who was born in the late 1800s and yet his songs are constantly revisited in pop, jazz, R&B and South American music all these decades later!  This is a testament to how compelling, clever and timeless these songs were to begin with. They are still fun and romantic, and they still make us laugh.”

Too Darn Hot will be the 11th summer concert to be produced by The Muse Machine.  Tickets are on sale exclusively through Ticket Center Stage, by phone at 937/228-3630, online at www.ticketcenterstage.com, or at the Ticket Center Stage box office in downtown Dayton.  Reserved seating is available for $52 and $38 (includes a tax-deductible donation to the organization); adult general admission tickets are available for $26; and student gen eral admission tickets are available for $12.

The Muse Machine is a nationally recognized arts education organization, providing creative experiences and resources for young people of the Miami Valley. Since 1982, they’ve produced 23 annual musicals and 10 summer concerts for the community and engaged thousands of students through academic-relevant lessons, workshops and in-school projects.  For more information, visit www.musemachine dayton.com.

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July 31, 2007
Volume 16, No. 31

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