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Aprile Millo was a neophyte member of the company's young artists program at the time, in her mid-20s and raring to get at Verdi's grandest opera. Since then, Millo has brightened into stardom with all its perks and fans, and Aida is one of her prime roles. The Met has an immense production, just three years old and an enormous and popular showpiece. Last week's [first] performance, the first "Aida" of the season, was sold out, and Millo was the nominal focus.

But maybe Levine should think of retiring the production. This was the most dismal performance of "Aida" I can recall, If it weren't for Gianna Quaranta's monumental sets, the audience would have had very little to applaud.

Where to start? The best vocal work of the evening was done by mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick, an Amneris of booming voice and large presence, despite some uncertainty over the role. She alone among the ill-fated trio (Millo as Aida and Lando Bartolini as Radames) brought any hint of believable fervor, although it was mostly anger. For a few moments, as Aida and Radames embraced in their tomb, I actually felt sorry for Amneris.

Millo's acting has grown smoother and less mannered, but hers was an Aida of surprisingly little personality, and her voice, large and powerful as ever, had little nuance and no hint of tenderness.

Bartolini started poorly and got worse. By the final act he either had forgotten his part or lost the bottom and middle of his voice. How else to explain the fact that he virtually spoke most of the last scene? When he wasn't talking, he sounded like brass, mostly flat but eventually all over the place. It was painful to hear.

Armenian bass Barseg Tumanyan displayed a nasal tone in his company debut as Ramfis. For a while, Timothy Noble's fiery Amonasro flamed above the dullness, while Terry Cook forced his voice mercilessly as the King.

Through all this, conductor Rico Saccani drew some very good sounds from the orchestra, with particularly good work from the oboe. Saccani kept a quick, ticking pace as if to hurry past all the vocal misery and the trumpets blared appropriately.

Almost as much applause was thrown at the sets as at the singers. The Act II scene change from Amneris' apartments to the great square in Thebes actually got two ovations. I like scenery too, but this time it underlined the weakness elsewhere.

Search by season: 1991-92

Search by title: Aida,

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