Cauldron

Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: A & E

Media Credit: Sketches by Zandra Rhodes, Courtesy of Houston Grand Opera Reinventing Antiquity Zandra Rhodes' bold sketches add a modern touch to Ancient Egypt.

Of all the art forms, opera is, perhaps, the largest in scope. It is more than a musical form, it is also an outlet for dance, visual arts, costuming and acting. But of all the grand-operas, "Aida" is perhaps the grandest. It is the opera with everything. A tapestry of a story set in Ancient Egypt, the plot mixes hope, hate and betrayal, war and patriotism, triumphal marches and deep despair, dance and song.

"Aida" tells the tale of its namesake, an Ethiopian slave in Egyptian princess Amneris' (Dolora Zajick) court. Aida (Zvetlina Vassileva) is secretly a princess in her own right, daughter of the Ethiopian king, Amonasro (Gordon Hawkins). Radames (Marco Berti), leader of the Egyptian army in its war against Ethiopia, is in love with Aida (Zvetlina Vassileva), who loves him in return. However, the couple's love is frustrated by the fact that Amneris is in love with Radames.

This classic love-triangle is mirrored by Aida's internal anguish. She is torn in two, caught between the love that she bears for Radames and her love for father and country. Forced to choose between the two, Aida initially tricks her lover into betraying his country. But when his supposed treachery is found out, she voluntarily shares in his sentence, being buried alive.

Houston Grand Opera's latest interpretation of this Verdi classic, led by scenic and costume designer Zandra Rhodes, is nothing if not original. The impressionistic sets are vivid. Deep blues and bright hues of orange on wall hangings, and the brilliant golds, reds, and yellows of the costuming convey a regal air which, juxtaposed against the modern aesthetic of abstract designs painted on walls, lends a certain ambiguity about time and place that serves the transcendent story-line well.

The cleverest set element was the series of triangular partitions that broke the stage into various pyramidal schemes, adjusted to different sizes depending on the grandeur or intimacy of the scene. But while this and other elements worked quite well, they were far from the typical "Aida" set of sun-drenched deserts and moon-soaked pyramids.

Perhaps for seasoned opera-goers, attempting to break up the monotony of countless "Aidas" past, the novelty of the set would be refreshing. But for younger fans, looking to be dazzled by the grand-spectacle for the first time and equipped with their own expectations of what that spectacle might be, "Aida's" latest incarnation may disappoint.

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