pThis magnificent recording of Aida, made in Rome, rises to all the musical and dramatic challenges presented by Verdi’s richlycoloured Egyptian epic. Antonio Pappano, once again proving his mastery of Italian opera, moves between sumptuous grandeur and touching intimacy. The responses of the Orchestra e Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia are both immediate and vibrant, while the singers Anja Harteros, Jonas Kaufmann, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Ludovic Tézier and Erwin Schrott do justice to every facet of their roles.p pbCritical acclaim for Antonio Pappano AIDAbp piClose your eyes and imagine the perfect Aida […] a visual rendition of the work a testament to the importance of studio recordingsi bThe Telegraph *****bp piVerdi’s epic of Ancient Egypt comes thrillingly alive here in a superb new recording which could hardly be bettered today … a magnificent achievement that gives enormous pleasurei bThe Daily Telegraph *****bp piPappano brings gorgeous colours and textures to a spectacular studio recordingibCD of the week The Guardian ****bp pIt is a triumph bRadio 3 CD Review Disc of the Weekbp pRecording of the month bGramophone Magazinebp pRecording of the month bBBC Music Magazinebp pAlbum of the week bSunday Timesbp pClassical album of the year bSunday Timesbp pAlbum of the year bBBC Music Magazines Awards 2016bp pOpera award bGramophone Awards 2016bp