The spectacle set up for the King of Egypt, including acrobatics, and mock-fights, and featuring dancing solos by Chiharu Shibata and Damon Mahoney, was memorable (despite the fact that, from our 21st-century post-colonial perspective, it is difficult not to reflect on the exoticized tones with which this opera, and this staging, are imbued). In this production, the animated atmosphere of the Egyptian victory was effectively portrayed on stage. On the other hand, if this worked against some of the most intimate numbers – such as Radames' outburst of love in 'Celeste Aida' – it managed to create an effective setting for one of the most difficult scenes of the whole operatic repertoire, the Triumphal March. Another problematic characteristic of this staging was the cartoon-like, careless quality of some of the props and painted patterns: these were were sometimes at odds with the intensity and gravity of the passions portrayed in the opera. Yet, unfortunately, the space felt overcrowded by so many colorful, imposing references. These were useful insofar as they all evoked the intertwining between religion, politics and private spheres – so important for the economy of the opera. One problem with the staging, for me, was its lack of subtlety, both in the painting patterns and in the architectonic elements: many visual details were endlessly multiplied – hieroglyphs, eyes of Horus – and dwarfed the drama on stage. Triangular patterns, close-ups (by means of massive panels), costumes, and many other geometric references created a perspectival space where everything foreshadowed the opera's ill-fated ending, in which, famously, the two protagonists are buried alive in the temple. The sense of suffocation and helplessness in relation to ethical, political, and personal values – family, homeland, love – was manifest in the claustrophobic multiplication of triangles on the set designed by Zandra Rhodes, in a co-production with the Houston Grand Opera and the English National Opera. While there were both ups and downs in the performance, the overall spectacle was definitely a noteworthy one.

After Il trovatore in 2009, this year music director Nicola Luisotti opted for a monumental work from the repertoire: Aida. It is another Verdian masterpiece that inaugurates the operatic season at the War Memorial Opera House.

Sf opera aida review