Anja Harteros: the art of interprating Verdi's morendo e perdendosi' in Aïda.(updated).

28/II
La Repubblica
(screenshot from the Repubblica photo gallery).
The stellar cast had several ovations during that amazing performance.
I will remember the quality of silence  and vibration from 2700 people (as the Santa Cecilia auditorium was completely full), when Anja Harteros gave her unique rendition of the first aria. With her singing mastering the 'Cantilena'  with long soft phrasings, she conquered me totally, feeling tears coming at the repetition  'Numi, pietà del mio soffrir'.

There was a thunder of  applause when the orchestra's last notes died away, but Anja Harteros had already left the stage...
The photo gallery is gorgeous.
More details from home soon.

2/III
Back home to rainy Provence. Rome was sunny and warmer.
I miss the view from my B&B  balcony and the pine trees challenging the top of houses inVia Varese.

Perhaps it is a special link to Italy that makes its 'camino' through opera that I miss even more?
While walking through Monti towards Trastevere I found my ideal house in Rome! (if only it was true!!!!)

 We walked as much as we could this time, and gazed at the scenery a lot, even when some of the population were agitated with hints of fascism on Saturday afternoon.

 I noticed how young most of the demonstrators seemed to be, almost school kids, playing with their flags and with no sense of what it means to walk behind a banner against immigration.  As a journalist told us 'they are Marine Le Pen's friends'  My reaction was: “Que vergogna!”

The Romans did not join them, which is a good point and could easily be witnessed from the terrace from Borghese park, overlooking the Piazza del Popolo which was far from full.


But what was on my mind was that "Aïda" which had brought me to Rome.

 

 I had the nice company of my Munich opera friend on the 27th.
 We hopped on bus 910 from Termini to Parco della Musica quite early in the evening as we had to collect our tickets.
The huge modern complex built near the Olympic grounds was crowded.

I made my way to the ticket office while my friend waited for his Milan friends who had the tickets for their group.
Because of this friendship, I met a nice group of fans from Italy,  Germany and France too.

My Munich friend took us all backstage at the end to greet Anja Harteros and I managed also to thank Ludovic Tézier who gave a striking rendition of Amonasro. He also told me he is going to sing Ernani in Marseille, then in Munich... more rejoicing evenings to come!
He was very handsome in his waistcoat! I was glad to know he feels better now and just needed some rest.

As often when expectations are high, I felt terribly overwhelmed by the whole evening, and utterly moved by Antonio Pappano's direction, managing the singers with extreme precision.
Sir Pappano must have worked on this score a lot and imagined a non-pompous Aïda hidden away in Verdi's music which had to be revealed.

He was really successful during this unique concert version that night.
For once the music prevailed with no setting of Egyptian display with elephants, egyptian tombs and fancy costumes often heavy and ridiculous.
 I can remember how scared I was during my first Aïda in Marseille when a huge slab closed the top entrance of the pyramid.  My father was on stage; it was a long time ago! I was fascinated by this music, the blaring of the trumpets on stage along with great pageantry.

Antonio Pappano's reading of Aïda made all the scenes vivid through the music.
I could feel the ripples of the Nile through the  whispering of the violins when Amneris and Ramfis are going to the temple.
It was an absolute wonder with Anja Harteros, whom I felt was emotionally involved, perhaps even too much, which could explain a harsh, unpleasant top which occured in III, 'O Patria mia' (but did not last) she was feeling her slave state to the bones and cried her pain literally. It surprised me and I felt she was just overwhelmed by emotion herself, like I was, listening to her singing and acting. She hardly glanced at her scores and 'acted' a lot, especially the scene with her father.

Her voice balance with Radamès was fantastic. Jonas Kaufmann, as often, intepreted the lover role more than the warrior and it suited their duets even more. Often her phrasing in top voice dominated the ensembles. She was so good in this role where pity, suffering and passion are her mode of expression. Her tall and elegant silhouette contrasted with Amneris, looking tougher.
Their voices were also more contrasted.  Ekaterina Sementchuk performed this role with energy and sometimes a rather raucous voice at the bottom of her powerful mezzo voice.  The last scene also revealed all her emotion and she was really moving. She got plenty of applause and even a huge shout 'Katerina' at the end of act I, from an admirer at the top of the house!

I felt uncomfortable with Ramfis-Erwin Schrott when he started. His voice sounded muffled to me and then sounded better but still rather wobbly in the repeated 'Radamès'.
He often had his fingers holding the top pockets of his evening jacket which gave him a 'Napoleonic 'look. As the opera went on I appreciated him better, but still did not find him smashing as a basso profonde;  he is not, I think.

The display of instruments and chorus gave more life to this static performance.
 During the triumphant march the trumpets were echoing from two different spots in the pit. The best musical effect occured from the high priestess's solo when she invokes Phta. The woman chorus and the solo singer from Santa Cecilia were hidden in the wings and this distance added a supernatural colour  to this poetic moment.

The Albanian singer, Donika Mataj, gave a beautiful rendition of this role and is a name to remember. Il Re, performed by Marco Spotti was fine too. Paolo Finale as the messenger was not unknown to me: I saw him last January in Marseille where he had a great success as Nemorino, he encored 'una furtiva lacrima! Here he was good too, although a bit nervous, I think.
Now after the booing episode during the last bows for Aïda, and indeed she was the last one on stage, being the title role, even after several days and back home I feel sad for her to have been submitted to such unfair behaviour after the beautiful performance that she had given us.

Anja Harteros was splendid and unique in the way she phrased the score.
But even if the last ten minute duet was almost never heard like that, from her and Jonas Kaufmann, some had only in mind the one note that she sang in a cry.
While the vast majority of the audience applauded, a small group of people booed her.
One of them was sitting not far behind me.
Anytime he booed I shouted 'Bravo' a bit louder; apparently I was not the only one to do so, my friend from Munich, who was sitting some way away, did the same.
 I have the feeling the booers were a very small but well organised group (cabal?).
Maybe they confused Opera with the Olympic games high jump! I had the feeling, though, that however she had performed that evening, they went there prepared to boo!

I followed my friend backstage and still wonder how he knew how to get there among crowds of people. We met Anja Harteros about to leave!
I had a small round bouquet from Campo dei Fiori for her and the group of fans also had presents, so we were pleased to thank her gently for this unique evening in this prestigious Music Hall.
She has all the colours in her voice for this type of Aïda which Antonio Pappano had decided to reveal.
Now the record is to be released in Autumn.

By the way, my friend from Munich told me that the golden top dress she was wearing this time was from Escada... and he is a 'connaisseur!

I was happy to read a very accurate account by Forum Opera: here - I share very much his opinion of that wonderful evening even though I feel the opposite about Anja Harteros commitment and capacity of emotion.
a link that will not last but gives the somptuous singing of the finale :
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10203367263213761