Aida, Opera by G. Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi's epic four-act opera, Aida, features as part of this season's Caracalla Festival in Rome, staged at the ancient Circo Massimo, the city's former chariot-racing stadium, in a one-of-a-kind performance. Traditionally, the festival is held at the Baths of Caracalla which are closed this season for an ongoing renovation, hence the move to one of the Eternal City's other great sites. Audiences can expect a truly unique experience, enjoying Aida – with its themes of personal tragedy and conflict among ancient civilizations – in an unequivocally fitting venue.
Aida is one of the most staged operas in the modern repertoire and it is easy to see why when it is so enduringly popular among theatregoers. Verdi scored it to a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, the Italian writer who had revised La forza del destino, the maestro's opera of 1869. Even though the Franco-Prussian War prevented the originally planned premiere of Aida from taking place in Egypt on time because scenery and costumes were trapped in Paris, the setback was thankfully short-lived. The debut of Aida eventually took place at the newly built Khedivial Opera House in Cairo on 24 December 1871. The music, story and sheer scale of Aida took the world by storm from its first performance and it has gone on to amaze and intrigue audiences ever since.
The plot of Aida involves a classic love triangle. Egyptian forces have captured the Ethiopian princess, Aida, who is now a slave of Princess Amneris, the Egyptian King’s daughter. The latter is in love with Radamès, a military man who does not reciprocate her feelings. Instead, he has fallen for Aida. When Radamès is appointed to lead the Egyptian army against the Ethiopians, he must choose between his feelings for Aida and his loyalty to Egypt. With great splendour and majesty, the fates of the characters are decided as war, dynastic politics and love are brought together in a heady mix.
Feted for its engaging plot lines, Aida benefits from one of Verdi’s truly memorable scores. It includes some of the most recognisable arias and choruses - notably Celeste Aida and the Triumphal March, respectively - in the entire operatic repertoire. Witnessing this staging of Aida at Circo Massimo, or Circus Maximus as the Romans once called it, offers a unique opportunity to see it being performed against an exceptionally historic backdrop.