Aida

One of the greatest ironies of the French grand opéra - the absolute spectacle of early Romanticism - is that its legacy has come down to us, on the whole, via foreign alternatives such as Aida, whose premiere in  Cairo in 1871 was surrounded by all the paraphernalia of grand geopolitical conclaves. Far from giving in to the mundane plot, a characteristic of the genre, this master piece and defining moment for Verdi, converted all the crowd scenes into an integral part of the drama - and not just an extravaganza - and instilled its characters with a fire that reaches solar temperatures in the last act before melting in a loving embrace of resignation and oblivion.

Any production that attempts to reach the stature of this work must get around challenges which are no less thorny: that the drama shines over and above the spectacle, and that the passions release their red-hot glow without being consumed in the macabre flames of melodrama. Nearly a quarter of a century after its premiere in 1998, these are precisely the reasons that validate this historic production by Hugo de   Ana in an updated  revival that demonstrates once again -  at the risk of sounding redundant - its perennial actuality.

Opera in four acts

Music by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) 

Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a script (1869) by Auguste Mariette and Camille du Locle

Premiere at the Opera of Cairo, 24 december 1871

Premiere at the Teatro Real, 12 december 1874

Production of the Teatro Real in coproduction with Abu Dhabi Festival, based on the original of the Teatro Real in 1998

Artistic team

Musical Conductors | Nicola Luisotti - 21, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31 oct; 2, 3, 5, 6 nov

                                     Diego García Rodríguez - 4 nov

                                     Daniel Oren - 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 nov

Stage Director, Stage Designer and Costumes Designer | Hugo de Ana

Lights Designer | Vinicio Cheli

Choreographer | Leda Lojodice 

Proyections Designer | Sergio Metalli

Chorus Director | Andrés Máspero

Cast

The king | Deyan Vatchkov   

Amneris | Jamie Barton - 24, 28, 31 oct; 3, 6, 9, 12 nov 

                Ketevan Kemoklidze - 25, 30 oct; 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 nov

                Sonia Ganassi - 26, 29 oct; 4, 10, 13 nov

Aida | Krassimira Stoyanova - 24, 28, 31 oct; y 3, 6, 9, 12, 14 nov

           Anna Netrebko - 25, 30 oct; y 2, 5, 8 nov

           Roberta Mantegna - 26, 29 oct; 4, 10, 13 nov

           Vittoria Yeo - 11 nov

Radamés | Piotr Beczala - 24, 28, 31 oct; 3, 6, 9, 12 nov

                  Yusif Eyvazov - 25, 29 oct; 2, 5, 8, 11 nov

                  Jorge de León - 26, 30 oct; 4, 10, 13 nov

                  Yonghoon Lee - 14 nov.

Ramfis | Alexander Vinogradov - 24, 28, 31 oct; 3, 6, 9, 12 nov

              Jongmin Park - 25, 29 oct; 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 nov

              Simón Orfila - 26, 30 oct; 4, 10, 13 nov

Amonasro | Carlos Álvarez - 24, 28, 31 oct; 3, 6, 9, 12 nov

                   Artur Rucinski - 25, 29 oct; 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 nov

                   Gevorg Hakobyan - 26, 30 oct; 4, 10, 13 nov

The great priestess | Jacquelina Livieri - 24, 26, 28, 30, 31, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13

                                     Marta Bauza - 25, 29, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14

A mail man | Fabián Lara

Titular Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Real

21 October: Preview of the season for young people up to 35 years of age (sponsored by the Fundación Amigos del Teatro Real).

24 October: Premiere of the 2022/2023 season