Aida

You would expect Milan's La Scala to serve up Verdi's ever-popular opera with exuberance and confidence, and that is certainly the case in Peter Stein's 2015 staging, which brilliantly blends tradition with innovation, displaying sumptuous costumes (some in period style while others sport modernist touches) set against backgrounds that emphasize geometric shapes rather than quasi-realistic structures. While the look is striking, the real glory of this Aida lies on the musical side. Conductor Zubin Mehta delivers powerful orchestral accompaniment to an exceptional cast. Kristin Lewis acts touchingly and sings ravishingly in the title role of the Ethiopian princess in Egyptian captivity, while Fabio Sartori, although beefy in appearance, exhibits a huge, ringing tenor as Radamès, the general whose love for Aida leads to their joint doom. But both are very nearly overshadowed by Anita Rachvelishvili, who brings fire as well as luscious tone to the role of Amneris, the rival whose jealousy destroys the lovers. The supporting cast can't match this power trio—in the role of high priest Ramfis, Matti Salminen's once rock-steady bass shows a newfound gruffness—but overall this Aida brings welcome freshness to an operatic warhorse that too often suffers from pedestrian run-throughs. Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and PCM stereo, this is highly recommended. (F. Swietek)