ALTHOUGH CONSIDERED A CLASSIC, VERDI'S 'AIDA' MISSES THE MARK.

Byline: David Mermelstein Correspondent

VERDI'S ``AIDA'' has been called one of three perfect popular operas. Yet even placement in such a pantheon cannot protect it from indifferent productions, something the Los Angeles Opera proved on Saturday night with its revival of Pier-Luigi Pizzi's sad-sack production, first presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in September 2000.

Compounding the disappointment was a cast that seldom impressed, headed by American soprano Michele Crider - making a wan company debut - in the title role. And if that wasn't enough to make a weary opera-goer want to drown himself in the Nile, then surely Peggy Hickey's bizarre and risible choreography was. Her weirdly homoerotic ``battle'' between Egyptians and Ethiopians is among the most embarrassing things ever to find its way onto the Chandler stage.

Granted, ``Aida'' is not easy to mount. Spend too much money - as New York's Metropolitan Opera has - and the production looks bloated. But spend too little - as is clearly the case here - and the whole enterprise seems a big waste.

Pizzi's set - with its sliding panels and large columns - reminds one of the kinds of department stores that once lined Wilshire Boulevard. So the multicolored costumes, seemingly pinched from a road-company ``Tannhauser,'' don't quite fit. Of course, not everyone on stage is wearing much, anyway. The dancers are barely dressed at all, for instance.

Perhaps if the singing were better, these elements would matter less. But Crider's unremarkable voice, often overwhelmed by the orchestra, did little to capture attention, except when she jerked toward shrillness. And she appeared unmoved by Aida's woeful circumstances - strange given that a princess who becomes a slave and then loses her beloved to her mistress actually has reason to complain.

As Radames, the object of Aida's affection, tenor Franco Farina trod the stage solidly. If he wasn't a heroic hero, then at least he wasn't a silly one. His singing tried to be forceful but was too often clotted.

Aida's rival, Amneris, sung by the Russian mezzo-soprano Irina Mishura, generated the most heat. She proved a compelling singer, her voice often surprisingly light and supple. And she smartly played Amneris less as a witch than as a powerful woman unwilling to be denied her prerogatives.

Georgian baritone Lado Ataneli - as Aida's father Amonasro - and Armenian bass Arutjun Kotchinian - as the high priest Ramfis - also sang impressively. Too bad director Vera Lucia Calabria didn't know what to do with them.

Making his company debut in the pit, Israeli conductor Dan Ettinger showed promise. And though he could sometimes be fussy, his command of the ballet music was pleasantly fresh. In a more pleasing staging, his contributions might have had even more of an impact.

The Los Angeles Opera lays claim to several productions worth reviving. But this one ought to share the fate of Aida and Radames and be sealed in a tomb.

AIDA - One and one half stars

Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

When: 7:30 tonight, Wednesday and Feb. 10, 16 and 19; 2 p.m. Sunday and Feb. 5 and 13.

Tickets: $25 to $190. [phone]. www.losangelesopera.com.

In a nutshell: An indifferent revival of a disappointing production undermines a Verdi masterpiece.

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Photo:

Michele Crider, left, and Irina Mishura are rivals Aida and Amneris, respectively, in the L.A. Opera production of ``Aida,'' at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.