SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE OF VERDI’S AIDA
The Serbian National Theatre Opera started its 161st season with spectacular performance of Verdi’s Aida not yet seen in this way at the Petrovaradin Fortress under the clear sky in front of 3000 spectators.
The professor-author duo consistantly working together, a director Aleksandar Nikolić and a choreographer Aleksandar Ilić, once again prooved that their creativity and boldness in setting the classical operas break the limits just like the productions which can be seen all over the world.
Orchestras, opera soloists, the choir, ballet ensemble, extras with more than 350 performers on stage were conducted masterfully by the guest conductor from Italy, Andrea Solinas.
As the manager Aleksandar Stankov of the Serbian National Theatre Opera announced, it is going to be an opera experience similar to the one belonging to Verdi’s time, when calendars were based on great premieres. The oldest national theatre is opening another season in such difficult circumstances; it alone is a challenge…
In the year when the whole world is making the jubilee of 120 years since Verdi’s death, on 15th September the Serbian National Theatre Opera is giving the performance of such epic opera exactly in the same way as the composer imagined – under the clear sky among the walls of the Petrovaradin Fortress!
The play was performed by the Opera soloists; Nebojša Babić as the king of Egypt, Višnja Radosav as Amneris, Sonja Šarić in the role of Aida, Stevan Karanac as Radames, Riccardo Zanellato as Ramfis, Željko R. Andrić as Amonasro, Igor Ksionžik as the messenger, and Maja Andrić as the priestess.
Virtuoso ballet scenes were performed by the soloists Katarina Kljajić and Samuel Bishop, and also by the ballet ensemble consisting of Verica Kozarev Klarić, Nadežda Salak, Vesna Bishop, Mina Radović, Marija Trifunović, Milica Jelić, Jelena Danguzov, Milana Samardžić, Katarina Zec, Olga Vrbaški, Minja Jokanović, Rajna Remović, Ivana Trpčević, Giulio Milite, Bojan Radnov, Zoran Trifunović, Aleksandar Bečvardi, Marko Ivan, Aleksandar Đurđević, Ivan Salonski, and Nikola Stamenović.
Scenography for the play was created by Tomislav Šaraba, the costume was designed by Senka Ranosavljević, Vesna Kesić Krsmanović was preparing and guiding the choir, and the assistant to the choreographer was Mojca Majcen who is a second-year student of the Belgrade Dance Institute, Choreography Department.
The play was performed in compliance with all the covid recommendations made by the Crisis Respond Team in spite of being performed in the open air, and the next performances are scheduled for 18th and 28th September in the Serbian National Theatre.
Photography by Srđan Doroški