Excellent Recording!
This DVD recording of "Aida" is a feast for the eyes and the ears!
Even though it's from a few years ago, the voices are outstanding and
the recording clear and up to date. This is my favorite opera of all
time and this DVD really does it justice. I recommend it highly!

Verdi - Aida/Levine, Domingo, Millo
Verdi's music is wonderful. The singers did a very good job. The staging was spectacular. We thoroughly enjoyed the opera.

My favorite Aida - so far.
I bought the VHS version instead of the DVD because the latter does not have any digital enhancements. So try getting a used VHS copy. Overall the set designs and presentations are excellent EXCEPT a tad dark in unexpected places, such as the victory march scenes.

Placido Domingo as Radames is top notch although past his prime vocally. In Act 1, Celeste Aida sounded quite flat as compared to the Pavorati version. I must say that I prefer Franco Corelli's performance (see Art Of Singing DVD) much better but I cannot find a Corelli Aida.

Dolora Zaijick as Amneris is superb rendering her mezzo just beautifully.

Aprile Millo as Aida is very good and yes she had ebon makeup to validate her Egyptian slave persona. However, compare her 'O patria mia' with that of Leontyne Price in the 'Art of Singing' DVD. There is no comparison. Ms. Price sounds just top notch. All in all Ms. Millo's performance is very good.

I recommend this work wholeheartedly. Well worth your time.

Can't Get Lost in the Dream
First, I am not a serious opera critic, so I cannot address the quality of the voice issue in the way that some other reviewers have. I am, however, a regular consumer of opera. I attend the opera a couple of times a year and at the best of them, I am transported to a different place, lose all sense of self, time and place. - A few weeks ago I was at the Met and heard Flemming sing Violetta, for example and was nearly moved to tears.

This production is disappointing to me because it has the feel of having been shot by a camcorder from the back of the room. Having seen Terfel and Flemming's DVD of Don Giovanni, I know it can be done much, much better. The problem here is that the set is enormous and the people are small. The camera takes too many distance shots where you can't see the singers and so it feels tinny.
If I want opera for the musical quality alone, I will buy a CD. For a DVD, I want film-like production values and camera work. This DVD is a let down.

Grand opera at its grandest
The first thing that impresses the viewer are the stupendous sets. It is as though the designer, Giani Quaranta, has thrown down a gauntlet to the performers - "Match this!". He clearly conveys the impression of a great civilization that seems to be on the wane. The giant friezes (if that is the correct term) are hugely impressive, but they are beginning to crumble. The frescoes in Amneris' room are lovely, but the paint is coming off. I was also impressed by the King's costumes. I checked up and the headresses, including the double crown as well as the regalia - the crook and the flail - are absolutely correct. I only wonder why Pharoah did not have his false beard? Would it have made singing harder?

I confess to a certain fascination with Amneris, and Dolora Zajick gets better and better in this role as the opera goes on. In the end you have the feeling that old Ramfis is going to have a rough ride when she becomes queen.

I have seen too many Aidas where you wonder WHY Radames prefers her to Amneris. Here, thanks to Ms. Millo's exquisite looks (it is a pity she is not black in real life, it suits her) and marvellous singing (particularly the pianissimos) the plot seems half way reasonable.

The only negative, and I say this with sadness because I admire him, is the performance of Sherrill Milnes. He is no longer in good voice and his acting is not upto par. He comes across as far too old for a warrior king and he is very stiff in certain parts.

Domingo is Domingo - looks, voice and acting are all perfect.

I have one quibble with the video and that is the superimposition of Amneris on Aida and Radames in the finale. It would have been better to present the double stage from a distance. Also, Amneris' final "pace" is swallowed up by applause, which is a pity. I would have expected better of the Met's audience.