I have seen Canadian director Robert Carsen's imaginative production of Aida three times now and I am still unsure whether I approve of it. Many see Aida as the grandest of all grand operas.

Set by Verdi in the kingdom of ancient Egypt around 2,500 BC, the setting is changed by Carsen into an unspecified military dictatorship in modern times, which predictably produces conflicts between what we see on stage and the words that are sung.

The Grand March, for example, which in the past has been extravagantly staged with pyramids and/or elephants, is turned into a theatrical display of choreographed military exercises to impress the Egyptian royalty. Even more oddly, when Radames is sentenced to be buried alive at the end, instead of a sepulchral tome, his incarceration is in some sort of missile silo.

Remarkably, however, the new version brings out the magnificence of Verdi's music very effectively as several in the cast brilliantly show. Italian soprano Anna Pirozzi brought a glorious voice and true passion to the title role but was even outdone by American mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis as Amneris.

The scenes between these two rivals for the love of military leader Radames seethed with emotion and Bryce-Davis displayed the full emotions offered by her role, from love to scheming and malice against Aida when she was rejected by Radames.

These two dominated the stage, closely followed by Spanish tenor Jorge de León as Radames. The most impressive male singer, however, was Mongolian baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat who was outstanding in the smaller role of Amonasro, King of Ethiopia and Aida's father. The scene in which he menacingly bullies his daughter into betraying Radames was perhaps the high point of this performance.

We are used to hearing the world's greatest singers giving their best at Covent Garden but this time, the success of the production owed as much to the chorus and the Israeli conductor Daniel Oren. The execution of Carsen's militaristic theme demanded precise rhythmic movements in scenes varying from handing out weapons to the military to table-laying for a banquet. The way these were performed emphasized the precise rhythms and power of Verdi's music, which was powerfully played by the Royal Opera House Orchestra under the firm control of Oren.

As I suggested, I still have reservations about Carsen's time-shifted production, but I do not think I have ever appreciated the magnificence of Verdi's music so much.

Aida is playing at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden until 12 February.

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