This magnificent recording of Aida, made in Rome, rises to all the musical and dramatic challenges presented by Verdi's richly-colored 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 T�zier and Erwin Schrott - do justice to every facet of their roles.