Opera: Aida

Home

Opera: Aida

Presenter: Cairo Opera House
Venue: National Center Opera House
Dates: July 10-13, 2008　19:30
Price: VIP　680　480　380　280　180 RMB
Programme Introduction
If you are enchanted by the mystery of the Nile and the fantasy of Egyptian tales, this is an opera you must see…
If you're intoxicated with the grace and magnificence of Verdi's opera, this is a piece you must hear…
From July 7-13, 2008, Verdi's epic masterpiece, Aida will be performed by the Cairo Opera House at China's National Centre for the Performing Arts, opening the curtain on the "Golden Month of Opera".

A Grand Masterpiece
In the history of music, Verdi is unparalleled. Over the last century, he has stood as one of the most faithful composers ever to mount the operatic stage, easily filling halls to capacity. Each of his works have become hallmarks, including such pieces as Rigoletto, Troubadour, Masnadieri, Aida, Otello. He has been noted as a musician of the "National Heroic" genre, as well as the representative of romantic opera, using his exaggerated style to give vent to burning emotions. His work exudes a fragrance both grandly magnanimous and heroically forceful. Aida may be considered the crowning touch of his multitudinous masterpieces.
The birth of the opera Aida left a vivid and colorful mark on history. On the opening of the Suez Canal, the Viceroy of Egypt extended a special invitation to the famous composer Verdi, asking him to write on the theme, hence this large-scale production so characteristically Egyptian walked onto the stage at an historic moment. This opera is in harmony with Verdi's consistent style—magnificent, elegant heroism. Its grand world premiere was held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. With a complicated, moving plot, impressive, elegant melodies and splendid, grand scenes, Aida swept its audience away, becoming a classic opera whose popularity endures the world over.

A Tragic Love Legend
Aida tells a tragic love story from the days when the Pharaoh ruled Egypt: Radames, a young general and the commander of the Egyptian army goes out to meet the invading forces of Ethiopia in battle. The woman he loves, Aida, was once the princess of Ethiopia until captured in war and reduced to a slave under the control of the Egyptian princess, Amneris. Both Aida and her mistress are in love with Radames. In preparation to meet the returning vengeance of the Ethiopian King, Radames implores the Pharaoh to give him Aida in marriage as a reward for victory. Yet the Pharaoh decides to betroth his daughter Amneris to him instead, notwithstanding Radames' single-hearted love for Aida. Meanwhile, Aida is painfully torn between the man she loves on the one hand and her father on the other. Upon Radames' triumphal return, she pleads with him for the release of her captive father, making it possible for her to escape with him. Jealousy fills the heart of Amneris, who reports their plan. Their plot revealed and ruined, Radames is charged with treason and condemned to death by way of being sealed in a pyramid. As his punishment looms near, Aida hears the news and beats Radames to the pyramid, deciding to bid farewell to this world with the one she loves.

Ending in tragedy, this is a "Romance of Troubled Times", also known as the "Egyptian 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow'". A piece fraught with violently direct emotions, the romance of its two central characters strikes right at the heart of the audience. Also, eternal themes such as love, war, betrayal and life combine to produce something much more than a mere tragic love song.
"Let us escape from these walls and flee to that place far, far away. There—is love; there—is happiness; here is only misfortune and sorrow. Look! Aida, the vast expanse of desert will be our nuptial chamber. There, the moon and stars shine in heightened brilliance; there, a wash of clear light will shower our heads." —taken from Aida

< Prev		Next >

Events & Exhibitions

China Yellow Pages