Giuseppe Verdi: Aida

To mark the opening of the Suez Canal, the Viceroy of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, commissioned an opera from the composer whose Rigoletto had earlier, in 1869, inaugurated the opera house in Cairo. Giuseppe Verdi took great pains in preparing for the task, even making a trip to Egypt with a view to obtaining first-hand knowledge of the country. Back in Milan, he had special trumpets manufactured according to his specifications (which came to be known as Aida-trumpets), in the ancient-Egyptian style. Verdi did not complete the opera until after the opening of the Suez Canal (November 17, 1869). The premiere, at Cairo’s Teatro del’Opera, took place on December 24, 1871. The dramatic charge of the story of the Ethiopian Princess Aida and the Egyptian warrior Radames, stems from the inner turmoil of a woman who must decide between loyalty to her homeland and love for a member of a nation oppressing her own people. In his turn, Radames too finds himself torn between love and duty, as he eventually betrays his country for Aida.

The PSO’s present production was premiered on June 2, 1994. The sets, designed by the well-known Egyptian artist, Hafez Abdel Farghali, clad the stage in an authentic local colour which, along with Josef Jelínek’s decorative costumes, was instrumental in the making of what has become one of the Prague State Opera’s most successful titles. The production likewise won huge acclaim during two of the Prague State Operas Japanese tours, in 2001, when the part of Radames was created by the international star tenor José Cura, and again in 2005, when the company’s cast was privileged by the presence of another two star singers, Maria Guleghina and Inéz Salazar.

Premiere: Jun 2, 1994

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