Sure I watched the Super Bowl along with millions of other wide-eyed fans, but being a classical music devotee I could have easily lived without that horrible noise at halftime which many of my friends - God love 'em - call music.Luckily before the game I was enthralled with a New York Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi"s Aida which is recognized by many critics of Italian opera as the greatest opera ever written. Having played all these operas in my capacity as a professional violinist and violist, and sawing mightily away while the singers on stage strove to warble a la Caruso and Callas, I must admit that I heartily agree with these critics as to the greatness of this opera. For those of my readers not acquainted with grand opera, Aida is a story of doomed lovers in ancient Egypt. Its premiere was held in Cairo (rightly so) in 1875. In this production my plaudits go to the scenery designer - the scenery was fabulous, the costumes were gorgeous, the ballet which (if you know the reputation of the Met) was thrilling and the orchestra whose excellence didn't surprise me. The singing of the leads, especially Aida and Amneris (the daughter of the king), left little to be desired although Radames (the male lead) disappointed me somewhat at least compared to some tenors I have heard in this role. For the life of me I can't fathom how the Met, knowing this performance would be shown nationally on TV, would allow such overweight singers in these leading roles. Look I'm a fiddle player who played these operas and I remember vividly looking up from the orchestra pit seeing reasonably fit singers going full throttle on these great arias. I enjoyed that immensely. Aida is exciting opera filled with extraordinary music, and a tragic story of doomed lovers. Quite frankly it was not only unhealthy but also unappealing to see the two obese leads practically filling up the sealed tomb in the final scene. I would think that in a multi-million dollar production, one appearing on national TV no less, that the directors could spare the expense of a personal trainer and nutritionist for their leading performers in such a high-profile production. It's just a simple suggestion, the New York Met is one of the premiere opera companies in the world and the physical fitness of their star performers sends a strong message to viewers in their audience and on television of what they should personally aspire to. Especially now at time when childhood obesity has been declared a national epidemic, it's not so much to ask that The Met be conscious of their star performers physical shape and health. Furthermore, it detracts from the experience of an opera that's intended to be a great exotic tragedy of doomed lovers. Frankly if I wanted to see elephants singing , I'll go rent a Disney movie.
