Royal Opera Aida: a howl of protest against nationalism

Aida Triumphal March

Ludovic Tézier (Amonasro), Elena Stikhina (Aida)

Francesco Meli (Radamès)

Agnieszka Rehlis (Amneris)

By Stephen Pritchard, 26 September 2022

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“Verdi’s theme is the pitiless nature of war and its shattering impact on life and love”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 25 September 2022

Verdi, Aida

The Royal Opera

Sir Antonio Pappano, Conductor

Robert Carsen, Director, Lighting Designer

Miriam Buether, Set Designer

Annemarie Woods, Costume Designer

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Royal Opera Chorus

Peter van Praet, Lighting Designer

Elena Stikhina, Aida

Francesco Meli, Radamès

Agnieszka Rehlis, Amneris

Ludovic Tézier, Amonasro

Soloman Howard, Ramfis

Insung Sim, King of Egypt

Rebecca Howell, Choreography

Peter Grimes drops anchor again at The Royal Opera

Christopher Woodley, 5th May

Allan Clayton and Sir Bryn Terfel lead a strong cast in a revival of Deborah Warner's dark staging of Britten's signature work at Covent Garden.

****1

Two funerals and a bedding at the Linbury Theatre

Eleanor Knight, 1st May

Tales of love and loss as operas by Elena Langer, Charlotte Bray and Elizabeth Maconchy form a varied triple bill in this showcase for The Royal Opera’s Jette Parker Artists.

****1

The Turn of the Screw at RBO Linbury: Darkness and denial

Eleanor Knight, 26th March

Natalie Abrahami’s mesmerising new production of Britten’s ghostly tale of sexual abuse is very dark indeed.

*****

A riveting Rigoletto revival at the Royal Opera House

Dominic Lowe, 25th March

Sir Mark Elder celebrates 50 years at Covent Garden by returning to his first opera there in 1976 – Verdi's Rigoletto – in a revival of Oliver Mears' excellent 2021 production.

****1

Siegfried at the RBO: Kosky and Pappano surprise and delight

David Karlin, 17th March

A revelatory orchestral performance and a cast led by Andreas Schager, Christopher Maltman and Elisabeth Strid make this a Siegfried for the record books.

*****

Terfel’s craggy Boris Godunov returns to Covent Garden

Mark Pullinger, 29th January

The second revival of Richard Jones' staging of Mussorgsky's original 1869 version of Boris Godunov once again stars the Welsh knight.

****1

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Stephen Pritchard

Stephen Pritchard began singing as a treble at the age of eight and progressed to become a tenor in Portsmouth Cathedral Choir, the Gibbons Consort and now the English Chamber Choir. Writing about music has been at the core of his 40-year career in journalism, chiefly at the Observer. He has been known to play a pretty mean jazz double bass.

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