Chicago.(North America)(Aida)(Opera Review)

Aida may be the quintessential operatic warhorse--a sure crowd-pleaser, with an endless array of melody, potential for scenic display and beautifully crafted major roles that provide singers with ample opportunity for technical exhibition. The problem with warhorses, however, is that they tend to be quite difficult to produce well, particularly in a time not overly abundant in full-throated, Italianate voices. Lyric Opera of Chicago's current revival (seen Oct 23) ably demonstrated the enticing theatrical graces of which the work is capable, while underscoring some of the challenges inherent in modern production.

Olga Borodina, by some margin, provided the evening's most luminous vocalism with her first Lyric Amneris. The mezzo's voluptuous instrument was seamlessly produced, its deep red-wine coloring richly consistent throughout the register, from an impressive cache of gutsy chest tones to a top register sopranos would envy. The judgment scene was searing in its intensity and poignant self-realization. The Radames of Richard Margison represented a solid house-standard for the role, not terribly individual in timbre but intoned with power for the climaxes and capable of delicacy in the tomb scene. "Celeste Aida" was respectably delineated, despite a bit of a lunge into its final phrase. Carlo Guelfi sang with commitment and provided an imposingly hulking presence as Amonasro, and there was some nice work from Raymond Aceto, booming authoritatively as Ramfis. Joseph Kaiser made a good showing as the Messenger; Erica Strauss brought an attractive lyric soprano to the undulating lines of the Priestess.

The opera's titular heroine is properly a lirico-spinto, though ...