Melodramma in four acts
Music by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario by François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette reworked by Camille du Locle
Premiere: Cairo, Khedival Opera House, 24 december 1871
Production of the Rome Opera House
Set in a pseudo-historic vision of Ancient Egypt, Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida depicts a dramatic clash between Aida and Amneris, haughty princesses battling for the valiant warrior Radames’s love. Aida had been commissioned for the inauguration of the Suez Canal, hence its reputation for cinemascopic dimensions – elephants included. The first Monaco performance in 1884 had to suffer cuts in the mass scenes due to the size of the Salle Garnier. In 2025, this poses problems no longer since Davide Livermore and his team can work in the expanse of the Grimaldi Forum where they have already proven an amazing creativity in using modern technology for breathtaking scenery.
At closer examination, however, her numerous arias, duets and trios reveal Aida’s intimate chamber musical side, which dominates most of the opera’s acts. Verdi’s writing for the voice and the colourful orchestral part are at their best when depicting what were often called “female weapons”: charm and seduction, slander, deception, and – once defeated – self-destruction and ruining of the cherished object. In such situations, beautiful and refined singing counts. Enjoy a stellar cast, which shows you both sides of this magnificent opera: its grandeur, and its fragility!
Conductor | Massimo Zanetti
Director | Davide Livermore
Sets | Giò Forma
Costumes | Gianluca Falaschi
Lighting design | Antonio Castro
Videos | D-Wok
Choirmaster | Stefano Visconti
The King | Antonio Di Matteo
Amneris | Marie-Nicole Lemieux
Aida | Anna Pirozzi
Radamès | Arsen Soghomonyan
Ramfis | Erwin Schrott
Amonasro | Artur Rucinski
Voice of the Priestess | Galia Bakalov
A messenger | Vincenzo di Nocera
