"Aida" (Concert format/with subtitles) Riccardo Muti - 2024/4/20 in Tokyo

//"Aida" Summary - Level-C2//

In Verdi's opera Aida, Radames is chosen by an oracle to lead the Egyptian army against invading Ethiopians, conflicting with him as he loves the enemy princess Aida. Meanwhile, Princess Amneris, jealous of Aida, discovers their love.
As the war unfolds, Radames unwittingly betrays military secrets to Aida and her father, leading to his arrest for treason. Ultimately, Radames and Aida choose death together, sealing their tragic love as Amneris mourns.

20 April 2024 [Sat] 14:00 - 17:30
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Grand Hall

Conductor: Riccardo Muti
Aida (soprano): Maria José Sciri
Radames (tenor): Luciano Ganci
Amonaslo (baritone): Servan Vasile
Amneris (mezzo-soprano): Julia Matochukina
Ramfis (bass): Vittorio Ganci De Campo
King of Egypt (bass): Shoji Katayama
Orchestra: Tokyo Spring Festival Orchestra
Chorus: Tokyo Opera Singers

Verdi: Opera "Aida" (all 4 acts)
Performance time: Approximately 3 hours 20 minutes (including two intermissions)

Aida
Act 1

Scene 1: The hall of a palace in the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis
Ramfis, the high priest, tells Radames that he has received an oracle from the goddess to appoint a general for the Egyptian army. At the same time, Radames expresses his love for the enemy princess, Aida, who is enslaved.

Then Princess Amneris appears. She tries to attract the attention of her beloved Radamès, but when she sees him shaken by the sight of Aida, she realises her secret feelings and fuels her jealousy.

The king arrives with his vassals and announces the Ethiopian army's invasion of Thebes. The enemy's general is Aida's father, Amonasro. When the Egyptian king appoints Radames as general of his army, everyone cheers and says, "Go home victorious!"
After everyone has left, Aida is left alone, tormented by the inability to choose between her beloved Radames and the father of her homeland.

Scene 2 Inside the temple
The shrine girl and the priests, including Ramfis, pray to the creator god Ptah (Hutah)—the mysterious dance of the shrine girls. Ramfis gives Radames a holy sword and equips him with holy armour. Everyone joins in a chorus of prayers for Radames' military success.

Act 2

Scene 1: Hall of Amneris
Enslaved people surround Amneris surround Amnerised people enslaved people. Then Aida appears. Amneris pretends to sympathise with her and probes Aida's true intentions.

When she tells her lie that "Radames died in battle", Aida becomes uneasy and confesses her love for Radames even though I'm a slave! Amneris is furious. Aida desperately begs him to calm her anger.

Scene 2 Outside the gates of Thebes
A loud chorus of victory surrounds the Egyptian king. The Egyptian army returns triumphant with a magnificent fanfare—a dance by a group carrying the spoils of war. Radames appears, and the prisoners are brought before him.

Aida gasps when she sees Amonasro there. But Amonasro secretly orders Aida not to reveal that he is the king. Amonasro and his captors beg the Egyptian king to spare their lives, but Ramfis and other priests insist on the death penalty.

The prisoners are pardoned at Radames' request. The Egyptian king also declares that he will give the throne to Radames and give him the princess Amneris as a reward. The people and the prisoners of war are overjoyed.

In the midst of this, Amneris triumphs, Radames and Aida despair, Amonasro swears revenge, and their various thoughts intertwine to form a magnificent ensemble.

3rd Act

The banks of the Nile
A chorus of people from the distant temple of Isis. Ramfis and Amneris go to the temple to pray before the wedding. Aida appears. Now that she has lost her love, she sings that she will never see her home again. Then Amonasro appears, and it's time for her to take her revenge. She must get the secrets of the Egyptian army from Radames, or she will no longer be his daughter, threatens Aida.

Torn between her country and love, Aida is in agony but ultimately agrees. While Amonasro is hiding, Radames appears. At a loss, Aida urges him to run away with her, but Radames is naturally reluctant. Then Radames is told to go with Aida and decides to run away. When asked where the Egyptian army is going, he accidentally blurts out the route the Egyptian military is taking. Amonasro suddenly appears and introduces himself as the king of Ethiopia.

Radames is shocked. Ramfis and Amneris also come out of the temple, traitors! Taunts Radames. Radames is captured after defeating Amonasro, who attacks Amneris, but he takes the opportunity to let Amonasro and Aida escape.

Act IV

Scene 1: The Palace of Memphis, her hall
Amneris is torn between punishing her beloved Radames with death and saving him, but she cannot shake off her feelings and has Radames brought to her.

Amneris tries to persuade him to forget Aida and choose her, but Radames refuses to listen, saying he would rather die for Aida. An investigation by Ramfis and other priests begins, but as Radames refuses to defend himself, he is sentenced to the cruel punishment of being buried alive. In despair, Amneris violently curses the priests.

Scene 2: Inside the temple and the tomb below
The rock door is closed, and Radames is alone in the tomb. As he thinks of Aida, he sees Aida herself in the darkness! He had sneaked into the tomb to die with Radames.

Their love is finally fulfilled, and they bid farewell to this life in ecstasy. Amneris then appears in the temple, dressed in mourning, and prays over the tomb for his beloved. As the prayers of the shrine maidens and the priests overlap, the voices of Aida and Radames finally fade away, and the curtain falls as if they were silently disappearing.

"Aida" (Concert format/with subtitles) Riccardo Muti - 2024/4/20 in Tokyo

https://www.tokyo-harusai.com/program_info/2024_aida_02/

Riccardo Muti e Giuseppe Verdi

https://www.riccardomuti.com/riccardo-muti-giuseppe-verdi/

VERDI, G.: Aida [Opera] (Caballé, P. Domingo, Cossotto, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov, Royal Opera Chorus, New Philharmonia, Muti)

https://ml.naxos.jp/work/5031456

Giuseppe Verdi - Riccardo Muti - Le quattro stagioni from I vespri siciliani (Mov. I-II) - Rehearsal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnsYwuBy8Ns

Muti conducts Verdi

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsyypbVj64MDYfbykAFeV_LIaCYHHyPnE

Riccardo Muti - Wikipedia

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%82%AB%E3%83%AB%E3%83%89%E3%83%BB%E3%83%A0%E3%83%BC%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3

Yulia Matouchkina (Messo Soplrano)

https://www.tokyo-harusai.com/artist_profile/yulia-matochkina/
https://www.japanarts.co.jp/news/p2302/

Yulia Matochkina Recital
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQU5cWD8IY

Dialogue vol.10 Riccardo Muti (conductor) x Koichi Suzuki

https://www.tokyo-harusai.com/harusai_journal/20ast_10/

Tokyo Spring Music Festival Muti's Aida (17th)

https://ameblo.jp/takemitsu189/entry-12848792062.html

Master conductor Riccardo Muti, a Tokyo Spring Music Festival regular, was born in 1941 and is now 82.

Of the star conductors who led the music world in the generation after Karajan, Böhm, and Bernstein, Abbado, Maazel, Ozawa, Haitink, and Jansons have died, leaving only Zubin Mehta (1936-), Daniel Barenboim(1942- ), and Muti(1941- ) as the only surviving star conductors of our generation.
We can only be thankful to hear Muti's speciality, Verdi, in Tokyo.

Muti's conducting was so crisp and straightforward that it was hard to believe he was 82 years old, and his back was straight and his body firmly on its axis, giving him an outstanding sense of stability. Although his movements are not as large as they used to be, his ability to elicit an angular sound from the orchestra at the right moment is impressive, and it is clear that all the players, including the singers, are entirely under the control of the maestro's baton.

The conductor style is heavier than before, but the dramatic expression is even more profound, and the psychological portrayal in the third and fourth acts is particularly excellent.

Mr Goko of the NHK Symphony Orchestra was the concertmaster. As in previous years, the orchestra comprised members of a reasonably young age group. Full of skill and flexibility, the orchestra responded to Muti's bars with agility and sharpness, pleasing the ear. Four Aida trumpets are played at each end of the stage in the second AAct.

Now for the solo singers. You would think that a singer with a strong personality would not be chosen for the Muti, but many singers tended to be just that.
The only singer whose name I knew was Maria José Ciri, who sang Aida. I know her name because I have heard her in several performances in Japan. But Ciri's Aida was not good enough. The singing was lacklustre, with no sense of power and a harsh vibrato. Ciri has sung Aida more than 150 times but is past her prime.

Luciano Ganci as Radames was replaced by Clodian Caciani. In AActI, 'Aida the Clean', he struggled with his high notes, which was frustrating, and afterwards, he was not without some concerns in the high register. Still, he is a refined tenor, not a nouveau tenor, with an excellent loose voice, and his vocal quality is suited to Radames.

The best singer was Yulia Matouchkina, who sang Amneris, as many in the audience probably thought. Her calm, firm, engaging voice was perfect for Amneris and suited Muti's aesthetic.

The chorus was the Tokyo Opera Singers, regulars at the Tokyo Spring Music Festival. The chorus was powerful, of course, but the delicate nuances were superb, giving the impression that they had been well-trained for this performance.

Verdi "Opera Aida" conducted by Muti Tokyo Spring Festival (April 17Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Main Hall)

https://ameblo.jp/baybay22/entry-12848780873.html

I wonder if we'll ever have the chance to hear Aida as beautifully as we did today.

Born on July 28 1941, Muti is 82 years old. Just as his appearance shows no signs of ageing, his conducting style is full of youth. I hope and pray that he will continue to appear at the Tokyo Spring Festival as an apostle, in perfect control of the singers, orchestra and chorus, conveying the essence of Verdi's music.

The first floor was on its feet when Muti appeared at the end of the curtain call. This is probably the first time in the history of the Tokyo Spring Festival that such a unanimous standing ovation has been received.

The applause for the Tokyo Opera Singers as they left the hall ended, and the applause for the empty stage continued. The principal singers reappeared, and even after their sleeves were pulled up, the applause from the remaining audience continued, and Muti finally appeared alone. He shook hands with audience members who ran up to the stage.

NHK cameras were at the performance today, so I think it will be broadcast later.
I'm glad Muti's Aida, one of the monumental performances at the Tokyo Spring Festival, was recorded. I want to make it a permanent preservation version.

Giuseppe Verdi - Riccardo Muti - Rehearsal and concert - Documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj7orIaQT_A&list=PLsyypbVj64MDYfbykAFeV_LIaCYHHyPnE&index=2

DVD "Muti conducts Verdi" with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of Teatro dell'Opera di Roma available at: http://bit.ly/MutiCVerdi

"Riccardo Muti, The King of Verdi" - The New York Times, 2016

"The Teatro Dell'Opera today has become a reference point. You go to the theatre to see shows because Maestro Muti has given it a strong electric shock." The New York Times, 2013

It is a captivating documentary. A journey into the depth of Verdi's music through Riccardo Muti's words, rehearsals, works and concerts. The most excellent living interpreter of Verdi's music, applauded by the critics and the audience worldwide. Together, we will discover the meaning of some of Riccardo Muti's most famous statements:

"We have to give Verdi the dignity and respect he desires..." "We must have the courage to follow his experiments on musical timbre" "I have spent most of my life trying to understand what Verdi wanted to tell us with his music". "The music of Verdi moves you, helps you and comforts you because it speaks to men about men, not about superheroes". In writing, the Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, "He gave a voice to all our hopes and sorrows. He wept and loved for all of us", wanted to say that Verdi could express universal feelings of grief and joy. Thus, Asians, Americans, Europeans, and Africans all perceive the same message in his music, coming from the depth of the heart and able to move anyone's soul. In this sense, Verdi's music will never become old-fashioned because it expresses universal feelings, the feelings of all humanity, in a unique way.

Karajan "Triumph March" Aida Act 2 Salzburg Live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCoFjKPpX7w

Verdi Opera "Aida" Act 2 Live
July 26,1979 Salzburg Festival Grand Theater (live) Giuseppe Verdi Aida Act 2 Mirella Freni(Aida) Jose Carreras(Radames) Marilyn Horne(Amneris) Piero Cappuccilli(Amonasro) Sophia State opera chorus Salzburg Chamber Choir Vienna state opera Chorus Herbert von Karajan Wiener Philharmoniker 7/26 1979 Salzburg Live

Aida Gloria All' Egitto | Met Ópera en el Auditorio Nacional

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCKLqeRUjb8&t=14s

Aida - Giuseppe Verdi - Arena di Verona 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA4luvqWJLM&t=62s

Aida by Verdi, 1989 Metropolitan Opera (complete)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_vvJYLlnX8&t=620s

Muti is the king of music, of which Italy is proud.
The essence of Italian opera was conveyed to young Japanese musicians.

https://www.tokyo-harusai.com/program/page_5873.html"

"Tokyo Spring Music Festival" will be held for the 15th time in 2019. As a new step toward this milestone, it has been decided that Maestro Riccardo Muti will hold the "Italian Opera Academy in Tokyo" for three years."

"Italian Opera Academy" is a project launched in Ravenna, Italy in 2015. Riccardo Muti shares his experiences and lessons from his teachers and great performers of the past with talented young musicians from around the world, helping them understand all the complex processes that go into creating an opera. It is held every summer in Ravenna for this purpose. So far, we have covered Falstaff (2015), La Traviata (2016), Aida (2017), and Macbeth (2018).

Mr Muti considers it a moral and ethical obligation to preserve and promote the beauty and depth of Italian opera, following methods and standards that are now disappearing. The Tokyo Spring Music Festival resonates with Muti's thoughts, and the "Italian Opera Academy in Tokyo" has been held.

Riccardo Mu "i "Italian Opera Academy in Tokyo" Overview
Academy for Young Musicians

2019 Giuseppe Verdi Opera “Rigoletto” (March 28, 2019)
2020 Giuseppe Verdi Opera "Macbeth" (Friday, March 6, 2020)
→Postponed due to COVID-19. The 2022/3/18 performance was held.
2021 Giuseppe Verdi Opera "Masquerade" (April 8, 2021)
→2023/3/18 performance was held.

Giuseppe Verdi Opera "Aida"
→2024/4/20 performance was held.

Giuseppe Verdi Opera "Attila"
→Performances scheduled to be held on 2024/9/16.

Giuseppe Verdi - Riccardo Muti - Attila - Presentation of the opera at the piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7nNKlAAdm8

Giuseppe Verdi - ATTILA Prelude - Riccardo Muti
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ6AvmyrJwI

Giuseppe Verdi - Attila (Frizza/ Abbado)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmCk0y_dW_8

Akina Nakamori "Gypsy Queen -JAZZ-"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMeNA5a4y1w