You need to accept cookies to get access to the professional section
Music by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) ; Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni after Auguste Mariette
With its fascination for Egypt, 19th century Europe seems to have embarked on an intoxicating voyage down the Nile, marvelling at the colours of that great river and of the Egyptian sky, rediscovering monuments that are not so much palaces and towns but enigmatic sanctuaries of both the genius and the folly of humanity. Aida is one of the most celebrated examples of this "Egyptomania" albeit one of the most contradictory: commissioned by Ismail Pasha, the project of a work to be performed in honour of the inauguration of the Suez Canal was initially rejected by Verdi. However, a second commission for an operatic work to be performed in the new theatre in Cairo was later, somewhat condescendingly, accepted. Verdi had no inclination for exoticism and any concessions were, for him, out of the question. This opera, intended as a celebration of universal concord and harmony between nations with all the pomp and ceremony appropriate to such solemn occasions, is in fact entirely about conflict: the war between Egypt and Ethiopia is nothing compared to that which opposes the characters to each other. Their bloody confrontations give way, in turn, to the conflict within each individual. A work both flamboyant and hieratic, spectacular and intimate, and one of Verdi's most beautiful masterpieces, Aida returns to the Paris Opera after more than half a century's absence.
Carlo Cigni : Il Re ; Luciana D’intino : Amneris ; Oksana Dyka : Aida; Marcelo Alvarez : Radamès ; Roberto Scandiuzzi : Ramfis ; Sergey Murzaev : Amonasro ; Elodie Hache : Sacerdotessa ; Oleksiy Palchykov : Un Messaggero ; Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Philippe Jordan : Conductor ; Olivier Py : Stage director ; Pierre-André Weitz : Sets and costumes ; Bertrand Killy : Lighting ; Patrick Marie Aubert : Chorus master
Italian
French
Production compagny : Telmondis
Coproduction compagny : Opéra de Paris Production, in association with Mezzo and the support of the CNC
Running Time : 1x140'
Production Year : 2013
Distribution compagny : Telmondis Distribution
Video Format : HD CAM, Digibeta 16/9