Aida & the Ayatollahs: A Review of the Paris Opera Revival
This fall, the Paris Opera revived a production of Aida originally presented at the 2017 Salzburg Festival. The staging was crafted by Shirin Neshat, an accomplished Iranian visual artist, photographer, and filmmaker making her opera directing debut.
Background and Direction
Neshat’s production was initially created for the prominent occasion of soprano Anna Netrebko’s debut as Aida, conducted by Riccardo Muti. Despite Neshat’s lack of prior opera directing experience, her artistic background shaped a visually distinctive revival.
Use of Film in the Production
Film incorporated black-and-white footage showing migrants—mostly women dressed somberly by the sea. These sequences, while visually striking, sometimes felt tentative and secondary to the main operatic narrative.
Staging and Interpretation
The production maintained Muti’s preference for minimal radical changes but was somewhat hindered by Neshat’s traditional “stand-and-sing” approach to her principal singers.
Renewed Expression in Paris
After a 2022 Salzburg revival with reported alterations, the Paris Opera’s version gave Neshat the chance to deepen her interpretation. As an advocate for women’s rights, she emphasized thematic parallels between the opera’s priests, styled with flowing, ayatollah-like beards, and the rigid theocrats of her native Iran.
“Parallels between the opera’s priests—decked out with flowing, ayatollah-style beards—and the hardline theocrats of her estranged country made the opera’s violence more pronounced.”
Summary
This production highlights Neshat’s bold visual vision and political commentary, though it occasionally struggles with operatic conventions and the integration of film.
Author’s summary: Shirin Neshat’s debut opera direction in Aida merges striking political imagery with traditional staging, deepening the opera’s themes through a unique visual and cultural lens.