Aida

(Opera Australia)

This version of Verdi's 'Aida' has received much publicity because Opera Australia has eschewed traditional sets and scenery and replaced them with huge digital panels.

So, does it work? The panels slide and twist and turn and display impressive images. They don't so much replace sets rather they emphasise the mood of the plot at each stage. All this movement is distracting at times even if the images are often stunning. The panels seemed to work best in the final Act when together with superb lighting they came closest to representing a traditional set. The triumphal march scene on the other hand was not a march and not especially triumphant either.

One negative of these panels is that the singers tended to a static performance as though staging a concert; not acting out a story. To my untrained ear the singing was of a high quality. I wish I could say the same for the choreography in the numerous dance sequences. They struck me as very peculiar and I had to suppress an urge to giggle on a number of occasions.

Choreography aside I enjoyed the spectacle.

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