When the Triumphal March fades

If it were not for Otello and Falstaff, Aida should have been Verdi’s last score. This was the idea in the head of the High Priest of Italian opera when he received the commission from Ismail Pachá, khedive of Egypt for an opera to inaugurate the opening of the Suez Canal. This did not come to pass but after many setbacks, the opera opened in Cairo on Christmas Eve 1871. Since then, Aida presents a real problem. Each new production encounters the challenge of finding the ideal equilibrium: too many elephants on stage -the pharaonic aspect- can destroy the delicacy of the sentimental story in the end.

In essence, this Verdi opera is the same as ever: as ever, the conflict between private and public life; once again, a love story which struggles between duty and desire, the established power as the origin of unhappiness... except this time, it is set in a huge environment, and as one will see, one that is devastating. Pure decoration? Not exactly. The Triumphal March, the exotic dances, the choruses of the priests… are not the essential here, although they achieve their objective. In Verdi’s operas, each element has its dramatic sense, and it all comes together if the audience is moved. One of the most celebrated titles of the repertory, and at the same time, one of the most complex creations of the Italian, returns to the Teatro de la Maestranza, where it has not been staged since 2013. Paco Azorín is the person in charge to take on the challenge of staging this ambiguous and fascinating piece, an intimate story of emotions under the guise of a grandiose spectacle.

Opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni and Camille du Locle, inspired by the text of Auguste Mariette Bey
Premiere on 24 December 1871 at the Khedivial Opera House of El Cairo