One of "Tutto Verdi" series "Aida" staged by Joseph Franconi Lee, filmed in Parma.
Director: Tiziano Mancini
Conductor: Antonino Fogliani
Stars: Susanna Branchini, Mariana Pentcheva, Walter Fraccaro, George Andguladze, Carlo Malinverno.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2813000/
24th Verdi opera.
Premiere 1871, Khedivial Opera House in Cairo
Place: Memphis
Time: of the Pharoahs
Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma
If this were my only copy of Aida, it would be sufficient. Except that I've grown to really like this opera, so more (different) productions is better. And this one is different than the other 2.
Sets/costumes/singing/acting all excellent. The stage is too small for the attempted processional, but they did have room for the 3 ballets, and may have done them well. But the TV director decided this was MTV, and did lots of closeups on the biggest (most people & longest) ballet, instead of letting us see what the audience does. Those decisions were fine for the singing, NOT for the dancing. My only consolation: I'm sure the quality of the dancing was not great, but it would've been more interesting to see what was designed/executed. (One of the ballets was comic and cute; beginning of Act II.)
The standout was Aida: Susanna Branchini. Born in Italy (father Italian, mother Caribbean), she was also the female lead in Attila. She has 1 other video credit in IMDb: Leonora in Forza ('07), not the Tutto Verdi effort.
This is an excellent story, with 3 primary characters, all of whom have deep conflicts between love and loyalty to their homelands. The grapple with this conflict throughout, with tragic but logical results. Extra stress: Aida's father has a bit of Iago in him, although he has good reason for his manipulation.
The contrast between grand spectacle and intimate scenes also makes this more enjoyable. Public duties versus private needs has been a theme Verdi used often, but it is very effectively blended here, with characters better developed than usual.
Two chapters in the Great Course again discusses Verdi's life almost as much as this opera, and has high praise for the elements I discussed above.
Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 3rd among Verdi's operas, 13th among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics).
Unitel, cond. Fogliani; 9
