THIS is definitely not your pharaoh's "Aida."

The new production by Tim Albery that opened the Canadian Opera Company's season on Saturday isn't set in ancient Egypt as Verdi intended. Instead, it's been updated to our own century and set in the palace of a king whose high priest, Ramfis, wears sunglasses and a business suit.

The Triumphal Scene has no elephants, no camels - not even a Triumphal March, really. Instead, it's depicted as the heroine's nightmare in which Egyptian soldiers coldly shoot wounded Ethiopian warriors in the head. The Nile Scene takes place nowhere near a river, but in a palace storeroom.

This tinkering might not matter so much except that it threatens to sabotage the main attraction: the first performance of the title role by Sondra Radvanovsky. In recent years, the American soprano has become a noted Verdi specialist. That she survives this production, and even triumphs in the end, is testament to her talent.

Her performance is like a master class in outstanding Verdi singing - strong, supple phrasing, admirablebreath control, powerful high notes, ravishing pianissimos.

Radvanovsky's voice has a distinctive shimmering quality that may not be to everyone's taste. But she is an artist of rare gifts at a time when many Verdi heroines are almost impossible to cast.

She is ably supported by Rosario La Spina, who gave a sensitiveperformance as Aida's lover, Radames. As the jealousprincess Amneris, mezzo Jill Grove sang fiercely and with impressivevolume.

The loud ovations that greeted the cast turned to boos when Albery and his team came out for their curtain call. None of them seemed particularly surprised.

• definitely [´definitli] ad.明确地；绝对 (初中英语单词)
• canadian [kə´neidiən] a.加拿大的n.加拿大人 (初中英语单词)
• priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)
• egyptian [i´dʒipʃən] n.埃及人a.埃及的 (初中英语单词)
• coldly [´kəuldli] ad.冷淡地 (初中英语单词)
• performance [pə´fɔ:məns] n.履行；行为；工作 (初中英语单词)
• talent [´tælənt] n.天才；才干；天资 (初中英语单词)
• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• jealous [´dʒeləs] a.妒忌的 (初中英语单词)
• princess [,prin´ses] n.公主；王妃；亲王夫人 (初中英语单词)
• fiercely [´fiəsli] ad.凶猛地，残忍地 (初中英语单词)
• volume [´vɔlju:m, ´vɑljəm] n.卷；书籍；体积；容量 (初中英语单词)
• nowhere [´nəuweə] n.无处；不知道 (高中英语单词)
• attraction [ə´trækʃən] n.吸引(力)；引力 (高中英语单词)
• outstanding [aut´stændiŋ] a.突出的；显著的 (高中英语单词)
• admirable [´ædmərəbəl] a.极佳的，值得赞美的 (高中英语单词)
• sensitive [´sensitiv] a.敏感的；感光的 (高中英语单词)
• impressive [im´presiv] a.给人深刻印象的 (高中英语单词)
• nightmare [´naitmeə] n.梦魇；恶梦 (英语四级单词)
• specialist [´speʃəlist] n.专家 (英语四级单词)
• testament [´testəment] n.契约，誓约；遗嘱 (英语四级单词)
• distinctive [di´stiŋktiv] a.有区别的；有特色的 (英语四级单词)
• triumphal [trai´ʌmfəl] a.凯旋的 (英语六级单词)