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Giuseppe Verdi鈥檚 鈥淎ida,鈥� set in ancient Egypt, has a reputation for being the grandest of grand operas. How grand, you ask? Well, some productions feature a parade of live elephants.

Historians debate whether there were elephants onstage when 鈥淎ida鈥� first premiered in Cairo in 1871. The premiere had been delayed after Prussian troops laid siege to Paris in 1870, causing the scenery and costumes to get stuck there. The siege went on so long that hungry Parisians  鈥� not that those particular elephants were ever destined to be opera stars.

鈥淓verybody who knows opera, the first thing they say to me is, 鈥楢re you going to have elephants?鈥欌�� Tony Zancanella, executive director of Opera Southwest, said.

OSW鈥檚 production of 鈥淎ida,鈥� which opens Sunday, Feb. 22, will not have elephants, but Zancanella thinks it might be better that way. At its core, he said, the opera is an intimate, small-scale character study of a love triangle.

鈥淭he funny thing about 鈥楢颈诲补鈥� is that if you zoom out just a bit and actually look at the opera itself 鈥� take away the 鈥極h yeah, I heard one time there was a scene with elephants鈥� 鈥� it's actually a pretty compact and intimate drama,鈥� Zancanella said. 鈥淚t's similar to a lot of other Verdi works. In fact, there's only really three leading roles 鈥� and there鈥檚 not a whole lot of big, complex ensemble numbers.鈥�

The architectural sets by Sean McClelland have a grandeur befitting the Old Kingdom Egyptian setting. But the real focus is on the emotions.

鈥淲hen you go see it at The Met (The Metropolitan Opera) or another big house, you're in a 4,000 seat house, which is great, but you're really far away from the performers,鈥� Zancanella said. 鈥淚f you come see it at Opera Southwest, even the worst seat at Opera Southwest 鈥� the back row of the balcony 鈥� is as close to the stage, probably, as the middle of the mezzanine in Santa Fe 鈥� You're just so close to the action, so you can really see the performers acting and emoting. 鈥� Doing 'Aida' in this context lets us really explore it in that way, rather than just as a spectacle.鈥�

Michelle Johnson, who will sing the title role, agrees subtle emotions lie at the heart of 鈥淎ida.鈥� At times, that even translates to quieter, more understated kinds of singing.

鈥淧eople think about 鈥楢颈诲补鈥� as being this gigantic, bombastic type of show, but, in reality, (apart from) Act Two, the triumphal march 鈥� the rest of the show is pretty intimate,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淵ou have a large orchestra, but there are times when it鈥檚 like chamber music, like two violinists and one cello, and they鈥檙e barely playing 鈥� just a little tremolo here or there. And I really do feel like the voice is part of the chamber ensemble, and not just a standout solo line. Really, the voice is part of the orchestration.鈥�

The Houston-born soprano said she is excited to show off her acting skills, too, because acting was her first love.

鈥淚 was acting before I was singing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 did a lot of community theater growing up, and a lot of musical theater, and the voice was always like the cherry on top, the secondary thing.鈥�

Although she ended up going to the New England Conservatory of Music for voice and made her career as an opera singer, Johnson said she鈥檚 still a 鈥渕usical theater nut鈥� and attends more Broadway shows than operas. Even with opera, she usually prefers student performances over professional ones.

鈥淲hy? I think it鈥檚 the rawness. They actually love it, and you can tell they鈥檙e giving their all, even if it鈥檚 rough,鈥� Johnson said.

Johnson has sung the role of Aida many times, including at the Glimmerglass Festival, Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Columbus, among others. She said her understanding of the characters has changed a lot from her first 鈥淎ida鈥� until now.

鈥淚 am married now, and I have a daughter. And there is a daughter-father relationship in 鈥楢ida,鈥� between Aida and her father, Amonasro. At first (years ago), my thoughts were, 鈥極h my goodness, Amonasro is such a bad guy 鈥� he鈥檚 manipulating his daughter, blah blah blah,鈥欌�� Johnson said. 鈥淏ut, as I鈥檓 older now, I think 鈥� yes, there is some manipulation, but at the same time, it鈥檚 sort of, 鈥業鈥檓 doing this because I love you鈥� or 鈥業鈥檓 doing this to keep you safe.鈥� 

鈥淐oming from being a parent now, I can see it from a different point of view.鈥�

Johnson recommends 鈥淎ida鈥� to everyone, even those who may not think of themselves as opera fans.

鈥淐ome see it, because we hold a mirror up. You might see yourself in some of the characters. You might cry and not know why you鈥檙e crying, because you don鈥檛 know the language, but the music itself can touch you,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 little intimate parts that will totally break your heart. There鈥檚 beautiful costumes, beautiful makeup and hair. There鈥檚 a little bit of everything for everybody.鈥�

Just because OSW鈥檚 鈥淎ida鈥� is more 鈥渋ntimate鈥� than some productions, that doesn鈥檛 mean there鈥檚 not still big, strong choral pieces.

鈥淔or my money, the consecration scene in the temple, right before they go to war, the 鈥楴ume, custode e vindice鈥� (鈥楪od, guardian and avenger鈥�) is just about the most exciting, thunderous and earth-shaking music you could imagine in a small theater. It鈥檚 gonna rip you out of our chair,鈥� Zancanella said. 鈥淭he smallness of the theater actually helps amplify those big sounds and big emotions.鈥�

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Journal. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .