Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Samuel Ramey :: Verdi: Aida / Millo, Domingo, Zajick, Morris, Ramey; Levine

Rediscovering a Fine Recording

Timothy Kearney | Hull, MA United States | 10/13/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am going to admit I made a mistake when I purchased this recording when it was first released-I read the reviews. As is often the case, the reviews were mixed and compared the recording to great recordings of this opera, and when I listened to it, it lacked something. I now believe it is because I did not listen to it before reading the reviews. As a result, it has stayed on my shelf for many years, and the only action it ever got was when I dusted it. Not too long ago I was in an AIDA mood, so I put the first recording of the opera I could find in the CD player. It was this recording and I realized I let it sit on the shelf too long. It really is a great recording.This recording was one of the first Metropolitan Opera and James Levine recordings for Sony. Probably the greatest strength of the recording is Levine's masterful handling of the orchestra. It should come as no surprise that the Met orchestra handles this score so well since AIDA is one of the most performed works at the Met and an opera as grand and powerful as AIDA is at home in such a large house. Placido Domingo is wonderful in the role of Radames, one of his signature roles. While Aprile Millo is not as strong an Aida as Leontyne Price, or my favorite Renata Tebaldi, she does an adequate job. I enjoy Dolora Zajick's Amneris very much. She seems to be able to handle the dignity of her role in a manner that is not pompous. While listeners love to hate her, there are moments when her voice is tender and one can feel sorry for her as the woman scorned. Samuel Ramey and James Morris add to the cast as well. Though Hei Kyung Hong's role is relatively small, her role is one of the opera's most beautiful parts and she handles it well. Lovers of the Saturday afternoon broadcasts from the Met will be familiar with the name Charles Anthony, a tenor who has played a number of comprimario roles at the Met. He too is included in this recording as a messenger.My favorite AIDA is still the Tebaldi-Carlo Bergonzi recording conducted by Herbert von Karajan, but this recording is certainly worthwhile and a close second."

A true golden age Aida

The Cultural Observer | 11/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If there were any Aida today that could compare with the greats of the past such as Tebaldi and Milanov, it would be the American soprano Aprile Millo. Most Verdi operas after Verdi's early phase were no longer centered around the main soprano, and of course one would need an excellent cast to make the opera ring with life. This recording does not disappoint the listener in any way, and while conductors like Abbado and Muti know how to better conduct the score, Levine was too an excellent Verdian and delivers the score with passion and spontaneity. I would wish that the pacing of Verdi's score were somewhat faster, but there is so much lyricism and beauty in Levine's conducting that one could forget his shortcomings.



The cast is nothing short of amazing. Domingo, in his 4th recording of Radames, makes a most passionate captain of the guard. He has lost some of the luster of his voice, and while his recording with Muti and Gwyneth Jones may have found him more passionate, he is certainly very involved here. He sings a very beautiful Celeste Aida, in my opinion.



Dolora Zajick as Amneris is probably one of the best interpretations of the mezzo role. She is the prototype of the Verdian soprano, as can be seen in her Azucena, and she understands the bitch from inside out. I certainly would compare this artist with the greats of the past such as Cossotto, Barbieri, and Simionato, the great three Italian mezzos of the past who made a specialty out of this role. Brava!



James Morris was the greatest Wotan in the Met during the 80's and 90's. There is no doubt that this amazing bass-baritone made a great Amonasro as well. I believe that his control of legato, as well as his excellent voice and his dynamics, make his Amonasro one of the better interpretations of the recent times, although one could wish that he were Leonard Warren, Cornell MacNeill, or Tito Gobbi.



This, of course, brings me to the Aida, Aprile Millo. With a voice as large and beautiful (albeit not as flexible) as Tebaldi, more sensitive than Milanov, and much more even and consistent than Callas, I would say that Aprile Millo is the definitive Aida of our generation. I would say that Callas was better as an interpreter and Nilsson perhaps made something of this Italian role better than most of the natives, but Millo holds her own among these greats, and I would say that I recommend this recording to anyone who wants to listen to an Aida sung with the true kind of voice required for the role.



Recommended!"