Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.
Giuseppe Verdi AIDA (Blu-ray Disc Version)
Set against the magnificent backdrop of Lake Constance, every production at the Bregenz Festival faces strong natural competitors. But with this first-ever production of Verdi’s “Aida” (in an abridged version) on the lakeside stage, it is easy to overlook the beauty of the surrounding nature. Stage director Graham Vick and set designer Paul Brown conjure up an “open-air spectacle of superlatives” (Die Zeit) that throws a bridge between ancient Egypt and today’s U.S. The stage effects are stunning: ruins of the Statue of Liberty pieced together with the help of giant cranes, boats carrying priestesses and prisoners – parts of the opera even take place in the lake itself! And in the Grand March – one of the most famous marches in opera – a golden elephant comes sailing into view on a barge¿ Under Carlo Rizzi, the Wiener Symphoniker brilliantly support the chorus and soloists, among whom Iano Tamar (Amneris) and Tatiana Serjan (Aida) stand out. Drawing capacity crowds of over 200,000 spectators in just one season, “Aida” is the festival’s most successful opera to date, even more successful than the “Tosca” production, which has been immortalized in the James Bond film “Quantum of Solace”.
Il Re – Kevin Short Amneris – Iano Tamar Aida – Tatiana Serjan Radamès – Rubens Pelizzari Ramfis – Tigran Martirossian Amonasro – Iain Paterson Un messaggero – Ronald Samm Una sacerdotessa – Elisabetta Martorana
Camerata Silesia Polish Radio Choir, Krakow Bregenz Festival Chorus Vienna Symphony Orchestra Carlo Rizzi, conductor
Graham Vick, stage director Paul Brown, stage and costume designer Ron Howell, choreography Wolfgang Göbbel, lighting designer
Recorded live from the Bregenz Festival, 22 and 24 July 2009.
Picture format: 1080i High Definition Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Region code: 0 (worldwide) Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian Running time: 135 mins No. of Discs: 1 (Blu-ray)
