Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Aida

Angel Blue shines in the Met’s glitzy new Aida

By Susan Stempleski, 31 December 2024

The American soprano heads an uneven cast in Michael Mayer’s archeologically inspired staging of Verdi’s great tale of love, war and betrayal.

***11

Loading image...

***11

New York City

31 Dec 2024

Angel Blue shines in the Met’s glitzy new Aida

By Susan Stempleski

Loading image...

Writhing snakes and nodding panthers: Opera Australia revives digital Aida

By Zoltán Szabó, 19 June 2023

Despite high quality singing, arresting video cannot replace real direction in Davide Livermore’s digital production.

***11

Loading image...

***11

Sydney

19 Jun 2023

Writhing snakes and nodding panthers: Opera Australia revives Aida

By Zoltán Szabó

Loading image...

Robert Carsen's Royal Opera Aida shines a spotlight on the modern military state

By Nick Boston, 05 May 2023

Robert Carsen's Aida focusses on the brutality of war, with powerful lead performances from Angel Blue, SeokJong Baek and Elīna Garanča, plus strong orchestral colours from Sir Mark Elder.

****1

Loading image...

****1

London

05 May 2023

Royal Opera's Aida shines a spotlight on the modern military state

By Nick Boston

Loading image...

Rome

Davide Livermore’s new Aida proves an incredible cinematic experience in Rome

By Alissa Balocco, 31 January 2023

In staging Verdi's triumphant masterpiece, the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma pays homage to silent films, turning Ancient Egypt into the underworld.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Rome

31 Jan 2023

Livermore’s new Aida: an incredible cinematic experience in Rome

By Alissa Balocco

Loading image...

Tomb Raider: Sonja Frisell’s Aida exhumed one last time at the Met

By Kevin W Ng, 13 December 2022

A loud, unsubtle performance of a loud, unsubtle production – the Met really deserves a new Aida.

**111

Loading image...

**111

New York City

13 Dec 2022

Tomb Raider: Sonja Frisell’s Aida exhumed one last time at the Met

By Kevin W Ng

Loading image...

The Royal Opera’s new Aida: a howl of protest against nationalism

By Stephen Pritchard, 25 September 2022

This is an Aida for the 21st century, with many pertinent things to say about oppression.

****1

Loading image...

****1

London

25 Sep 2022

Royal Opera Aida: a howl of protest against nationalism

By Stephen Pritchard

Dresden

Moving singing, but missed opportunities in Dresden’s new Aida

By Zoltán Szabó, 17 March 2022

Katharina Thalbach offers a traditional staging at the Semperoper, with fine vocal performances led by Krassimira Stoyanova, Francesco Meli and Oksana Volkova.

***11

***11

Dresden

17 Mar 2022

Moving singing, but missed opportunities in Dresden’s new Aida

By Zoltán Szabó

Melbourne

Compelling to hear, amazing to see: Opera Australia’s Aida arrives in Melbourne

By Brian Angus, 17 May 2021

Using bold digital panels, D-Wok has created stunning visual effects. World class singers provide an outstanding aural experience.

****1

****1

Melbourne

17 May 2021

Compelling to hear, amazing to see: Opera Australia’s Aida

By Brian Angus

Milan

A triumphant Aida in concert at La Scala to defy the pandemic

By Laura Servidei, 09 October 2020

Riccardo Chailly leads a splendid cast in Verdi’s masterpiece as La Scala leads the way in these troubled times, when the opera world is so volatile and fragile, by focusing on the music, holding onto artistic values.

*****

*****

Milan

09 Oct 2020

A triumphant Aida in concert at La Scala to defy the pandemic

By Laura Servidei

Naples

Everyone returns victorious in San Carlo's Aida

By Lorenzo Fiorito, 28 July 2020

With their second open-air concert performance, Teatro di San Carlo scores another hit.

****1

****1

Naples

28 Jul 2020

Everyone returns victorious in San Carlo's Aida

By Lorenzo Fiorito

Leeds

Aida in Leeds: a radical approach to an operatic warhorse by Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks, 01 May 2019

Opera North's Aida, directed by Annabel Arden and conducted by Sir Richard Armstrong in Leeds Town Hall, is a welcome radical interpretation in the spirit of the times.

****1

****1

Leeds

01 May 2019

A radical approach to an operatic warhorse by Opera North

By Richard Wilcocks

Loading image...

Liège

Under the eye of Horus: a traditional Aida in Liège

By Mark Pullinger, 09 March 2019

Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera's staging for Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège is stolid in direction, but Speranza Scappucci breathes life into Verdi's drama from the pit.

***11

Loading image...

***11

Liège

09 Mar 2019

Under the eye of Horus: Aida in Liège

By Mark Pullinger

Amneris is the star of the Met's Aida revival

By Ako Imamura, 07 January 2019

This revival of the Met's 30-year-old production of Aida had a disappointing debut in the title role but Dolora Zajick's reign as Amneris is still a force of nature.

***11

***11

New York City

07 Jan 2019

Amneris is the star of the Met's Aida revival

By Ako Imamura

Dublin

In Dublin, an Aida that successfully strips away the Egyptian iconography

By Pia Maltri, 24 November 2018

Michael Barker-Caven sets Aida in a 21st-century war zone in the Middle-East, allowing the audience to focus on the human drama.

*****

*****

Dublin

24 Nov 2018

An Aida that strips away the Egyptian iconography

By Pia Maltri

Stockholm

Cavanagh's undercooked Aida returns to the Royal Swedish Opera with a new cast

By Laura Servidei, 27 October 2018

Carè, Katzarava and Treichl give committed performances in a reprise of Cavanagh’s production.

**111

**111

Stockholm

27 Oct 2018

Aida returns to the Royal Swedish Opera with a new cast

By Laura Servidei

At The Met, Netrebko triumphs as Aida, with Rachvelishvili a powerful rival

By Ako Imamura, 26 September 2018

Netrebko met the audience’s high expectations, as she does every time, conquering the challenges with her remarkable artistry.

*****

*****

New York City

26 Sep 2018

Netrebko triumphs as Aida at The Met

By Ako Imamura

Digitally Aida’d: A new production at Opera Australia

By David Larkin, 18 July 2018

Davide Livermore's digital set for Opera Australia's new production of Aida ushers in a new type of staging to the Sydney Opera House, and backs up a stellar performance from Amber Wagner in the title role.

****1

****1

Sydney

18 Jul 2018

Digitally Aida’d: A new production at Opera Australia

By David Larkin

Milan

A guilty pleasure: Zeffirelli's Aida at La Scala

By James Imam, 23 May 2018

You feel you ought not to approve of such directorial extravagance, but catch yourself being drawn into the grand pageant.

****1

****1

Milan

23 May 2018

A guilty pleasure: Zeffirelli's Aida at La Scala

By James Imam

Seattle

A visually stunning Aida at Seattle Opera

By Jason Victor Serinus, 05 May 2018

Francesca Zambello's hip-hop graffiti staging of Aida comes to Seattle.

***11

***11

Seattle

05 May 2018

A visually stunning Aida at Seattle Opera

By Jason Victor Serinus

Madrid

A tale of two princesses: a dusty Aida revived at the Teatro Real

By Fernando Remiro, 10 March 2018

In a disappointing revival of Hugo de Ana's clichéd and clumsy production, Liudmyla Monastyrska and Violeta Urmana confronted each other with their superb vocal techniques and diverging styles.

***11

***11

Madrid

10 Mar 2018

A dusty Aida revived at the Teatro Real

By Fernando Remiro

Stockholm

Great debut for Christina Nilsson as Aida in Stockholm

By Laura Servidei, 26 February 2018

The remarkable performance of young soprano Christina Nilsson does not completely rescue a mixed-bag cast and a lack of Personenregie at the Stockholm Royal Opera.

**111

**111

Stockholm

26 Feb 2018

Great Aida debut for Christina Nilsson

By Laura Servidei

Billowing silk and blue hair: Phelim McDermott creates an evocative Aida for ENO

By Mark Pullinger, 28 September 2017

McDermott envisages Aida as a sister production to his team's mesmeric Akhnaten. But would the hypnotic juggling and glacial choreography work for Giuseppe Verdi's Nile epic?

****1

****1

London

28 Sep 2017

Billowing silk, blue hair: an evocative ENO Aida

By Mark Pullinger

Washington

Graffiti meets Nefertiti: Aida in Washington DC

By Hilary Stroh, 09 September 2017

Francesca Zambello’s engaging Aida opened the season at Washington National Opera, eventually getting into its stride.

****1

****1

Washington

09 Sep 2017

Graffiti meets Nefertiti: Aida in Washington DC

By Hilary Stroh

Salzburg

Netrebko triumphs as musical performances transcend Salzburg Festival staging of Aida

By James Imam, 09 August 2017

Muti's reading of the score is extraordinary, both for its sophistication and originality.

****1

****1

Salzburg

09 Aug 2017

Netrebko triumphs as Aida

By James Imam

Brno

Pharaonic spectacle: Aida in Moravia

By John Johnston, 10 April 2017

A night of Egyptian musical and scenic splendour.

****1

****1

Brno

10 Apr 2017

Pharaonic spectacle: Aida in Moravia

By John Johnston

Krassimira Stoyanova triumphs in The Met's Aida

By Robert Levine, 27 March 2017

The Metropolitan Opera’s now 29-year old production of Aida is still standing and still looking good. Gianni Quaranta’s gigantic sets – floor-to-sky-statuary, regal-looking staircases, a couple of horses, wise/exciting use of the stage elevator to change scenes (causing, unfortunately, a glitch the other night which delayed the final scene for a few minutes), costumes (by Dada Saligeri) mostly of

****1

****1

New York City

27 Mar 2017

Stoyanova triumphs in The Met's Aida

By Robert Levine

San Francisco

An Aida short on drama in San Francisco

By Ilana Walder-Biesanz, 08 November 2016

San Francisco Opera's Aida features exciting role debuts from Leah Crocetto and Brian Jagde and a visually striking production, but a lack of good direction keeps it from being great music drama.

***11

***11

San Francisco

08 Nov 2016

An Aida short on drama in San Francisco

By Ilana Walder-Biesanz

Met's revival of Aida an occasion to celebrate an enduring masterpiece

By Ako Imamura, 05 November 2016

The return of the Met's Aida was a joyous celebration of the art form with excellent singers and orchestra doing what they do best against the backdrop of a traditional but effective staging.

***11

***11

New York City

05 Nov 2016

An occasion to celebrate an enduring masterpiece

By Ako Imamura

Budapest

An Aida in Budapest that could be re-named Amneris

By Alexandra Ivanoff, 27 February 2016

Known for her powerful interpretations of the blockbuster Italian mezzo roles, the great Hungarian diva Ildikó Komlósi dominates the new production of Aida in Budapest.

****1

****1

Budapest

27 Feb 2016

An Aida in Budapest that could be re-named Amneris

By Alexandra Ivanoff

Fright at the Museum: Slater’s Aida flops at Holland Park

By Mark Pullinger, 24 June 2015

Third time unlucky? After a scorching start to the summer, with superb productions of Il trittico and Flight, Opera Holland Park’s season came unstuck with a horror of a show in Daniel Slater’s Aida.

**111

**111

London

24 Jun 2015

Fright at the Museum: Slater’s Aida flops at Holland Park

By Mark Pullinger

Zurich

Tears, oblivion and hopeless love: Aida in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet, 06 June 2015

Director Tatjana Gürbaca’s production of Aida in Zurich strictly underscores the psyche and emotional parrying of the principals.

***11

***11

Zurich

06 Jun 2015

Tears, oblivion and hopeless love: Aida in Zurich

By Sarah Batschelet

Celestial Latonia Moore stars in spectacular Sydney Harbour Aida

By David Larkin, 27 March 2015

Camels, fireworks, and a gigantic head of Nefertiti: the Sydney Harbour production of Aida is not short on spectacle. Among the cast, Latonia Moore is outstanding in the title role, with good support from Miljana Nikolic as Amneris and Michael Honeyman as Amonasro.

***11

***11

Sydney

27 Mar 2015

Celestial Latonia Moore stars in Sydney Aida

By David Larkin

Milan

A Verdian feast from Peter Stein and Zubin Mehta in La Scala's full fat Aida

By James Imam, 21 February 2015

With elegant sets and superlative musicianship, Verdi came to life in the House where he is revered most. This musical feast will have us licking our lips for some time yet.

*****

*****

Milan

21 Feb 2015

A Verdian feast in La Scala's full fat Aida

By James Imam

The Met's Aida offers stunning singing and spectacle

By Stephen Raskauskas, 30 October 2014

Verdi’s Aida has been performed over 1,000 times at the Metropolitan Opera, making it the most commonly revived work after Puccini’s La bohème. Because Aida is so regularly programmed, I usually walk rather than run to see this opera.

***11

***11

New York City

30 Oct 2014

The Met's Aida offers stunning singing and spectacle

By Stephen Raskauskas

Verona

Arena di Verona stages an unforgettable Aida

By James Imam, 28 June 2014

La Fura dels Baus's production balances the familiar with modern detail in a clever staging that packs a real punch. The Arena enjoyed its centennial edition last year, and one wonders whether this might be the production that they celebrate the next time around.

*****

*****

Verona

28 Jun 2014

An unforgettable Aida in Verona

By James Imam

Naples

No triumphal march for Aida in Naples

By Lorenzo Fiorito, 07 December 2013

Cirque du Soleil producer Franco Dragone's new Aida for the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples aimed to scrub off all the bombast from this triumphalistic work. The eccentricities of the production led to a poor-quality outcome, though there was some fine singing.

***11

***11

Naples

07 Dec 2013

Teatro di San Carlo: Aida

By Lorenzo Fiorito

Paris

Viva Verdi! Aida at the Opéra Bastille ruffles a few feathers

By Leopold Tobisch, 15 October 2013

Under the artistic and musical direction of Olivier Py and Philippe Jordan, Verdi’s opera has ignited a veritable storm of both fervent criticism and ardent defence.

***11

***11

Paris

15 Oct 2013

Opéra de Paris: Aida

By Leopold Tobisch

Baugé-en-Anjou

Murder amidst orientalist excess: Opéra de Baugé's Aida

By Roger Smith, 03 August 2013

A note in the programme honestly records the trepidation Opéra de Baugé felt in taking on Verdi’s Aida, a tougher prospect than the other operas with which it’s in rep, Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore and Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus.

***11

***11

Baugé-en-Anjou

03 Aug 2013

Murder amidst orientalist excess: Opéra de Baugé's Aida

By Roger Smith

San Diego

San Diego Opera's flashy Aida features standout soprano Latonia Moore

By Matthew Richard Martinez, 20 April 2013

Aida typifies all that is grand about opera. Its exotic setting, majestic music, and dramatic love triangle can make for an evening unique among performing arts events. It’s not a bad way to close an opera season either. San Diego Opera did so on Saturday, capping a uniformly satisfying season with Zandra Rhodes’ vibrant production that was refreshing and at times thrilling.

****1

****1

San Diego

20 Apr 2013

San Diego Opera's flashy Aida features standout soprano Latonia Moore

By Matthew Richard Martinez

Cooperstown

Glimmerglass' little Aida makes a huge impact

By Gale Martin, 04 August 2012

You won’t see plumed horses, a procession of camels, or a hundred supernumeraries as standard bearers parading across the Glimmerglass stage. In fact, you have to step outside the Alice Busch Opera Theater to see any elephants at all, the animal most commonly associated with Aida, Verdi’s greatest grand opera.

****1

****1

Cooperstown

04 Aug 2012

Glimmerglass' little Aida makes a huge impact

By Gale Martin

Latonia Moore shines in Sydney Aida

By David Larkin, 24 July 2012

Virtually every reviewer of Aida mentions elephants, generally only to note their absence: the elephant not in the room, as it were. Like most others, the current Opera Australia production was lacking in pachyderms, but few of last night’s audience will have felt short-changed.

****1

****1

Sydney

24 Jul 2012

Latonia Moore shines in Sydney Aida

By David Larkin

Chicago

A tale of two princesses at the Lyric Opera of Chicago

By Kristina Powers, 21 January 2012

In our youth, my brother and I adored Cecil B. DeMille’s epic film The Ten Commandments. Not only did we like the well-written and brilliant take on the beloved biblical story of Moses, but we were also fascinated by the lavish sets and historical aspects of the film.

****1

****1

Chicago

21 Jan 2012

A tale of two princesses at the Lyric Opera of Chicago

By Kristina Powers

Power and control in the Royal Opera's Aida

By David Karlin, 30 March 2011

Attendees of last night's Aida may have been concerned that they would be seeing a stand-in soprano, with the Ukranian Liudmyla Monastyrska making her Covent Garden debut. They needn't have worried. Monastyrska gave a world class performance with great vocal control and huge power.

*****

*****

London

30 Mar 2011

Power and control in the Royal Opera's Aida

By David Karlin