Giuseppe Verdi Verdi: Aida Genre:Classical Behind the pyramids and the elephants, the long lines of prisoners of war and of slaves carrying booty, the choral shouts of "Glory to Egypt," and the splendid brass sounding the Triumphal March, Aida is the story of a lov... more »e triangle: Aida, an Ethiopian princess who has become a slave in Egypt; Amneris, an Egyptian princess; and Radamès, the Egyptian general they both love (Aida secretly). There are ironies and conflicts: How can she love a man who is the enemy of her country but who says he has fought and conquered for the sake of her love? It is suitable only for the biggest opera houses and therefore demands voices capable of great power as well as emotional expressiveness. Montserrat Caballé, Placido Domingo and Fiorenza Cossotto provide such voices, and Ricardo Muti conducts with a sense of both drama and dynastic glory. --Joe McLellan« less
Behind the pyramids and the elephants, the long lines of prisoners of war and of slaves carrying booty, the choral shouts of "Glory to Egypt," and the splendid brass sounding the Triumphal March, Aida is the story of a love triangle: Aida, an Ethiopian princess who has become a slave in Egypt; Amneris, an Egyptian princess; and Radamès, the Egyptian general they both love (Aida secretly). There are ironies and conflicts: How can she love a man who is the enemy of her country but who says he has fought and conquered for the sake of her love? It is suitable only for the biggest opera houses and therefore demands voices capable of great power as well as emotional expressiveness. Montserrat Caballé, Placido Domingo and Fiorenza Cossotto provide such voices, and Ricardo Muti conducts with a sense of both drama and dynastic glory. --Joe McLellan
"Aida is a difficult opera to cast well, and in these sad days when big operatic voices seem to be gone, it's even impossible to cast adequately. EMI was lucky 25 years ago to have Caballe, Domingo, Cossotto, Ghiaurov and Cappuccilli in pristine form. Caballe, a natural Trovatore Leonora, was not really born to sing Aida, but was caught in great form and sings a ravishing, passionate princess. Zinka Milanov and Leontyne Price are perhaps even more ideal, but Caballe is certainly their equal on records. Domingo's virile Radames is admirable, even if he sang even better for Abbado in his 1981 recording. Cossotto is a storm as Amneris, fiery, implacable, a force of nature! Ghiaurov in his prime had one of the greatest voices of the Century, he has to heard to be believed. Cappuccilli is at ease as Amonasro, but others, Warren and Gobbi especially, were even more dramatic in the crucial third act duet with Aida. The young Riccardo Muti conducts very well, even if he lacks Abbado's insights (though of course, Abbado lacks Muti's singers in his DG recording). All in all, this is one of the great Aidas on record. The Perlea recording is perhaps even better sung, with Milanov, Bjorling, Warren, Christoff and Barbieri, but it has mono sound and a second rate orchestra. The Solti recording will always be there because of Leontyne Price and Jon Vickers, but the Rome Opera Ochestra is not up there with the Philharmonia or the Vienna Philharmonic. Finally, the Levine recording on SONY with Aprile Millo, Dolora Zajick, Placido Domingo, and James Morris closes the era of great Verdi voices. Aprile Millo certainly has what it takes, so it is all the more tragic her career was so short. Domingo in his fourth Radames has lost a little power, but it remains a memorable portrayal. Zajick is very exciting and loud, but misses some of the class a Barbieri or a Cossotto brought to Amneris. James Morris is a formidable Amonasro."
An AIDA Not to Be Missed!
William T. Clegg | Pocatello, Idaho United States | 07/24/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Muti's 1974 AIDA is a marvel! The singing, the playing, the sound, all add up to one overwhelmingly satisfying, viscerally thrilling performance, a performance to rival Karajan's 1959 recording of the same opera. I'm not a big fan of Caballe, but as heard here, she's powerful, insightful, tender, and the velvet of her pianissimos is something to wonder at. She may lack the consummately beautiful instrument of Leontyne Price, but she's got everything else. Domingo, in his second recorded performance of Rhadames, is the ideal tenor for this role. His voice rings out with power and emotion, at times caressing or electrifying the listener's ears. Only in his 1981 outing with Abbado does he better fulfill Verdi's music. As the third wheel in the romance, Cossotto sings richly and securely, hitting the role of Amneris head-on vocally, but missing the contrasts that would have made her character really live in the listener's mind. The rest of the cast is exemplary, Ghiaurov making a formidable Ramfis, Cappuccilli a fiery Amonasro, Luigi Roni a strong but appropriately aging King of Egypt, and the young Nicola Martinucci a compelling Messenger. Aside from the singing, between Muti's conducting, the New Philharmonia's exacting, exciting playing, John Mordler's expert production, and Stuart Eltham's marvelous supervision of the sound, this AIDA ranks as one of the greatest recorded interpretations of the work ever made."
The best "Aida" I've ever heard
cdsullivan@massed.net | Cambridge, MA USA | 03/26/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This recording is, if not quite perfect, very very good, with a close to dream cast. Riccardo Muti conveys the drama of "Aida" electrically, but is not afraid to slow down and savor the big moments. I especially like how he brings out the timpani in the big, spectacular parts. This really adds to the majesty of these scenes. Ghiaurov, as Ramfis, is all you could ask for, with his dark, slightly husky, thunderous voice a perfect match for the High Priest's rather chillingly powerful authority. Cappuccilli is excellent as Amonasro, particularly dramatic in the Nile Scene; Cossotto has a splendidly regal voice which is perfect for Amneris, but she is definitely at her happiest singing loudly, and doesn't really color the character very well - but her voice makes up for it. Plácido Domingo IS Radamès: heroic, tender, agitated and despairing - wonderful. Montserrat Caballé has a gorgeous voice, and, contrary to my expectations (admit it - she is known almost completely for her voice), offers an exceptional portrayal of the Ethiopian princess - however, she gets a bit gulpy and throaty at some points, which is not pleasant. But her high pianissimos are magical, especially in the Nile and Tomb scenes. I have heard other recordings that might have slightly better casts (Leinsdorf's RCA recording with Price, Domingo, Bumbry, Milnes and Raimondi) or more majestic, leisurely conducting (Karajan), but the different parts of this recording add up completely satisfyingly and the result is the best version of "Aida" I've heard yet."
Celeste Aida!
tenor_in_training | 03/17/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"EMI is one of the very few labels that released two great Aidas, one after another, this one being the first and Karajan's set with Mirella Freni in title role - the second, this one dazzling and energetic, the other one grand and emotional. I could not make a pick, so I own both and thus get a benefit of hearing the music of my favorite composer approached in two completely different but similarly irresistible ways. Riccardo Muti became known for his faithfulness to the score, most understand this as just his refusal to allow the optional high notes. I think it's more than that, here he demonstrates complete understanding of Verdi's intentions. Even though the action is brisk, the tempi are even and the march sounds fresh with its ringing brass. Aida was the composer's most beloved heroine, her music is very tender and ethereal, Muti makes sure that the strings are literally "breathing", the legato line is impeccable and Montserrat Caballé's gorgeous voice is ideally suited for this demanding role. Since hers is not a spinto voice, it's fascinating to observe that it has that much power, yet free from any painful strains. Good conductors realized that it gains a great deal when presented opposite darker tenor voices. She partnered with Placido Domingo on this set, Manon Lescaut and La Boheme, and with José Carreras on Un Ballo, Tosca and Cavalleria Rusticana among many others. Here Domingo treats the listener with yet another commanding heroic rendition of Radames (he recorded the role at least four times). This is a very heavy role where the tenor many times needs to sing over very loud orchestra and he does a splendid job of that. But both principals are also quite capable to project beautiful tender passages, listen to "O terra addio." The supporting cast is possibly the best on record. Amonastro is sung by Piero Cappuccilli. This is one of his favorite roles (he repeated it for Karajan) and his captured king is imposing and even dangerous. Fiorenza Cossotto is a compelling Amneris. Although she does not evoke as much sympathy for her unanswered love as Agnes Baltsa on Karajan's set, she is truly regal and her fury is easy to understand. Nicolai Ghiaurov is a magnificent Ramfis, during the trial scene his voice really seems like the voice of mighty Ftha, menacing and larger-than-life. He really IS the driving force behind the tragedy. EMI's remastered edition includes a plastic case only (no sleeve) and thus the libretto booklet is smaller and harder to read, the sound, however, is quite good, although not digital. This is one of the very best recordings of Verdi's masterpiece, one cannot go wrong with it. It also provides a good standard for the new Aidas whose absence during the last 10 years is puzzling to say the least."
Exciting, musical and beautiful.
Emile Myburgh | Constantia South Africa | 11/15/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Despite some great recent recordings this one is a performance that one will always return to. The cast is unmatched and their voices were recorded at their prime. This is the first of three recordings which Domingo amde of Radames. His youthfulness is much more apparent in this recording than in his later ones. Caballe has the perfect voice for Aida. It is strong voice capably withstanding all the demands this role puts to any soprano. Fiorenza Cossotto is ons of the greatest Verdi mezzo soprano's of all time and her Amneris is brilliant. She displays Amneris's torn emotions brilliantly. In the end, however, the most credit has to go Riccardo Muti's inspired leading of the New Philharmonic Orchestra. His conducting is energetic, yet musical, dynamic yet sensitive. Listen especially to the trumpet solo in the duet between Aida and Radames in Act Three. It is unparallelled even by his great compatriot Claudio Abbado. This is definitely THE recording of Aida to buy of you are a first time buyer."
