A Met Opera Live Screening will take place at 7 p.m., Thursday Nov. 8, at the Prior-Jollek Hall, Antilles School Campus. The Court Yard will be open from 6 p.m. with small meals and desserts by Amalia Café. The evening is made possible by Viya.
Run time of “Aida” is 3 hours 20 min. with a 15 min. intermission.
Act I – 40 min; Intermission 15 min.; Act II – 36 min.; Act III – 67 min.
“Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi
As the highlight of the new season of the Met Opera, soprano Anna Netrebko sings her first Met Aida, going toe-to-toe with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili as Amneris. The libretto indicates merely that the opera takes place in “ancient Egypt, in the time of the pharaohs.” This may sound vague, but it was a clear direction to approach the drama as myth rather than anthropology or history.
Music – The score of “Aida” is a sophisticated example of Italian Romanticism, imbued with a convincingly mysterious and exotic hue. Making no claims to authenticity, Verdi created a unique musical palette for this opera.
The grandeur of the subject is aptly conveyed with huge patriotic choruses, most notably the unforgettable Triumphal Scene in Act II. These public moments often serve as frames for the solos of the leading tenor and soprano: his soaring “Celeste Aida” right at the beginning of Act I, her impassioned “Ritorna vincitor!” that follows, and her great internal journey, “Qui Radamès verrà! … O patria mia” in Act III.
Tickets cost $20 for adults; $10 for teachers; and students attend for free. Ticket Sale: online @instantseats.com or at the box office of the Prior-Jollek Hall the evening of the live screening.
