By Aaron Keebaugh

The only serious flaw in Boston Lyric Opera’s stripped-down staging approach to Aida was that not all the participants were quite up to the organization’s usual standards.

Michelle Johnson (left) as Aida and Alice Chung as Amneris in Boston Lyric Opera’s Aida. Photo: Nile Scott Studios

When opera companies aim to outdo one another, Verdi’s Aida, with all its theatricality, remains the vehicle of choice.

But when the opera is performed, shorn of its parading elephants and grand spectacle, its drama often reveals itself for what it is — a harrowing and intimate tale of the tensions between duty to country and love for someone one can never quite possess.

The libretto centers on the trials and tribulations experienced by a handful of characters. Radames, captain of the Egyptian forces, is betrothed to Amneris. But he loves Aida, an enslaved woman who, unbeknownst to most, is the daughter of the Ethiopian king who has waged war on the Egyptians. Transfixed by his love for Aida, Radames realizes he cannot simultaneously be loyal to the realm. And, in a moment of desperation, he accidentally spills military secrets, for which he is put on trial and sentenced to death.

The story calls for the pomp and ceremony that befits any grand opera. But Boston Lyric Opera’s one-off performance of Aida (last Sunday at the Emerson Colonial Theatre) steered clear of the customary excess, all the better to convey the story’s fusion of lyricism, grit, and apprehension. The only serious flaw in this approach was that not all the participants were quite up to the BLO’s usual standards.

Most of the problems with this performance can be credited to the orchestra. Though conductor David Angus led with lithe vitality, the ensemble didn’t supply the requisite Italianate warmth the score demands. The opening Prelude felt thin in the strings. And elsewhere, the attacks were too frequently muddled, rhythms didn’t line up, and some passages wandered fitfully out of tune.

Alice Chung as Amneris in Boston Lyric Opera’s Aida. Photo: Nile Scott Studios

Some of that inadequacy can be accounted for by where the orchestra was placed. With them seated onstage, the sound became trapped behind the proscenium, which robbed the players of their ability to envelop the singers in the plush Verdian strains. Instead, the effect was brittle and two-dimensional.

The singing, however, ranged from capable to outright stellar. As Radames, Diego Torre sang with a vibrant tenor that easily dramatized his character’s predicament. His intimate moments, in particular, conveyed tender warmth and sweetness. He imbued “Celeste Aida” with a sweet force befitting any spellbinding Italian ballad.

He had an equal partner in Michelle Johnson, who captured the grim realities of Aida’s split loyalties through vocalizations with the delicacy of a crystal goblet, particularly in her effortless flights into high range.

It took Alice Chung a little time to connect with the tension in the role of Amneris. Throughout the performance she projected a fervent and forthright sonic presence. But as the opera progressed, her engagement deepened: she palpably conveyed pangs of grief as Amneris pleaded with the high priests to save Radames’s life after he had betrayed military secrets.

Morris Robinson cut a stentorian and authoritative force as the priest Ramfis. His oaken bass grounded the dramatic flutterings of the ensemble’s sonority. As Amonasro, Brian Major sang with cool conviction. Stefan Egerstrom was an assured presence as the King of Egypt. And the brief roles of the High Priestess and Messenger were sung colorfully by Chelsea Basler and Fred C. Vanness Jr.

Though this Aida left spectacle to the audience’s imagination, Aja M. Jackson’s lighting designs, projected on the theater’s walls, set the scene powerfully. The Triumphal March, delivered powerfully by the Back Bay Chorale, was accompanied by a light show featuring a procession of animals.

(L to R) Stefan Egerstrom (King of Egypt), Brian Major (Amonasro), and Morris Robinson (Ramfis) in Boston Lyric Opera’s Aida. Photo: Nile Scott Studios

The gala evening began by honoring Morris Robinson, who had made his operatic debut as the King in Aida with the BLO 25 years ago. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu even issued a proclamation to celebrate the occasion, naming November 10, 2024 as “Morris Robinson Day.”

During his very busy career Robinson has landed roles at the Metropolitan Opera in The Magic Flute, Les Troyens, Nabucco, and Tannhäuser. Over the last decade he has broadened his reach to include musicals. Still, Verdi remains something of a niche. This season he will perform the role of Ferrando in Il Trovatore (with Houston Grand Opera) and Banquo in Macbeth (with the Atlanta Opera). He will reprise his first ever role in Aida at the Met in December.

It all began for Robinson in Boston. Expressing his gratitude, the teary-eyed singer told a humorous story of how his first venture into opera was a matter of serendipity. He had auditioned for the chorus in Aida, but received a callback for the role of the King. When he won the role, the director of BLO’s instructions was nothing if not direct: “We know you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re going to be the King in Aida. Don’t eff it up!”

Aaron Keebaugh has been a classical music critic in Boston since 2012. His work has been featured in the Musical Times, Corymbus, Boston Classical Review, Early Music America, and BBC Radio 3. A musicologist, he teaches at North Shore Community College in both Danvers and Lynn.