Aida

Overall, the Tutto Verdi series—comprising all of the composer's operas presented in recent Italian stagings (mostly from Parma) on both DVD and Blu-ray—has maintained a fairly high standard. But this 2012 production of the ever-popular 1871 masterpiece Verdi wrote—about Egyptian army commander Radamès' love for the titular enslaved Ethiopian princess, which elicits the wrath of Amneris, the jealous pharaoh's daughter—fails on virtually every level. Joseph Franconi Lee's direction is unimaginative, emphasizing dull static poses, while Mauro Carosi's sets and costumes strive for opulence but wind up looking chintzy in the bluish light here. The chorus and orchestra of the Teatro Regio do ragged work under Antonino Fogliani's baton, and the solo singing is unimpressive, with Susanna Branchini and Walter Fraccaro—as the doomed couple—sounding strained and coarse. Mariana Pentcheva as the vengeful Amneris comes off best, but even she's second-rate compared to the competition in rival versions (such as the 2003 Barcelona mounting reviewed in VL-11/04). It's no wonder that the audience response is tepid, with perfunctory applause during the curtain calls. Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and PCM stereo, extras include an intro to the opera. Aside from libraries collecting the entire series, this is not a necessary purchase. (F. Swietek)