Search - Giuseppe Verdi, Alexander Melik-Pashaev, Bolshoi Theater Orchestra :: Verdi: Aida

MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCE...

Impostazione | New York City Area | 03/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Aida is a great surprise, and that Russians were able to accomplish this high level art in Italian opera under the circumstances speaks well of their innate musicality and devotion to opera. It really is on the par with the great performances, surpassing many.



The conducting is excellent and the score comes alive with the use of dynamics, accent and shading.



Georgi Nelepp is the most perfect Radames one is likely to hear on record at this time. Nothing challenges him vocally, and his mezza voce, dimenudo, calibration, and legato are not to be matched even by the greats. His mezza voce is the only tenor I have ever heard to even approach Miguel Fleta, but Nelepp does not distort the line. He makes the role seem as easy as talking, never is there a forced note, a strain, and he was justly famous in Russia for his tastefulness. Nelepp is a class act and this comes through in his singing. There is not an ounce of provinciality in his presentation.



The Aida, Sokolova is quite wonderful with a gigantic high C and lovely pianissimi of the full throated variety - that rare type. She uses Verdi's accents as well as any soprano - at least in Aida. Her duet with Mr. Lisitsian was quite stirring. Lisitsian has a voice as warm and lovely as a peach, and soft and shapely as the best kept natural. His tone is superior.



The low male voices are simply unique and extra resonant, unmatched in fact. The chorus is full and impacting. The small soprano solo - Sacerdotessa - is beautiful



There is a weak link - the mezzo - I just don't get it.



Yet, this is a wonderful performance with class act singers and even sung in Russian this Aida satisfies the viscera well and represents high class and the best taste! Then again, I have never asked for a native speaker, nationality, religion, skin color or even gender to sing anything since most people of any combination can't sing opera anyway - Italians included. That being said - I have a CD of Bulgarians singing Porgy and Bess just wonderfully!"