AIDA

Opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni and Camille du Locle, based on Egyptologist Auguste Mariette’s drama of the same name.
Premiered at the Cairo Opera on the 24th of December, 1871.

Musical production Teatro Cervantes de Málaga
Stage production Associazione Musicale Suoni del Sud, edizione Busseto

Aida Rocío Ignacio
Radamès Jorge de León
Amneris Olesya Petrova
Amonasro Carlos Álvarez
Ramfis Rubén Amoretti
King of Egypt Luis López
Priestess Laura Orueta
Messenger Francisco Arbós

Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga
Coro Titular del Teatro Cervantes de Málaga - Intermezzo

Conductor Oliver Díaz
Stage direction Vivien Hewitt
Choir direction Pablo Moras
Original set design Franco Zeffirelli
Costume design Anna Anni
Lighting Gianni Mirenda

Hand programme (ESP)

The most lavish of the grand operas takes place in an epic context for what is essentially an intimate and tragic love story. Aida is an Ethiopian princess who was captured and taken to Egypt as a slave. Radames is an Egyptian military commander loyal to the Pharaoh, whose daughter Amnesis is in love with Radames. She is opposed to his love for Aida, as is Aida’s father Amonasro, King of the defeated Ethiopians, who seeks vengeance. On being discovered, Radames is buried alive, and Aida enters his tomb to die by his side.

In 1869, an opera theatre was inaugurated in Cairo with Verdi’s opera Rigoletto. The viceroy Ismaíl Bajá, who greatly admired the composer, had thought of commissioning Verdi a new opera on occasion of the coming opening of the Suez Canal. The big day arrived, but the sets and costumes, which had been ordered from the Opera of Paris. had not been shipped because the city was surrounded by the Prussians. Once the Peace Treaty was finally signed, Aida was premiered on Christmas Eve 1871. Verdi did not travel to Egypt, and learned of the extraordinary triumph of his opera by telegram. A year later, the maestro did attend Aida’s remarkable European presentation at the Scala of Milan.
Together with an effusive but also deep and intimate score, Aida contains recurring themes of Verdi's repertoire, including the love triangle, the political and social background, the arrogance of dictators, the humiliation of the oppressed, paternal and filial feelings, jealousy, forbidden love, betrayal, loneliness, death, etc. In addition, the full dramatic portrayal of the characters and the ambiguity of situations and internal conflicts provide deep psychological content.

Opera and Recitals XXXVI Opera Season