This week’s Sunday Opera (7/12 3:00 p.m.) heads off to the Paris Opera for one of the world’s favorite operas, “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi. With a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, it was initially commissioned by the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo for an 1871 premiere. Quickly becoming an audience favorite, the opera has played around the world and has even played over 1,100 performances at the Metropolitan Opera since its debut in 1886.
For those unfamiliar with the plot, it’s basically a doomed love triangle and divided loyalty.
The setting is ancient Egypt where the Egyptians are at war with Ethiopia. Aida (Saioa Hernandez) has been captured and is a slave In the Egyptian court, where she serves Amneris (Eve-Maud Hubeaux), the Pharaoh's (Krzysztof Baczyk) daughter. Both women secretly love the soldier Radamès (Piotr Beczala), but Radamès loves Aida.
Radamès is chosen to lead the Egyptian army against Aida's people. Distraught, Aida is torn between her love for him and the pain of knowing her own father, King Amonasro (Roman Burdenko), is leading the Ethiopian forces.
Radamès returns victorious, bringing captive Ethiopians—including Amonasro, whose true identity remains hidden. For his triumphs, the Pharaoh grants Radamès's request to spare the prisoners, and as a reward, offers him Princess Amneris in marriage.
However, Radames is desperate to be with Aida and inadvertently reveals his army’s battle plans to Amonasro. This is overheard by Amneris who realizes that Radames really loves Aida, and she reveals Radames as a traitor.
Radamès admits his mistake and is sentenced to be buried alive in a temple vault. Having learned of his fate, Aida sneaks into the vault to join him, and the lovers embrace their doom as Amneris mourns outside.
Michele Mariotti is our conductor for this performance, and he leads the Paris Opera Orchestra & Chorus.
This week, we’ll be turning away from the music of Verdi to fill our afternoon together in order to take a “musical” trip to Egypt and pieces it inspired by Anton Arensky and his ballet entitled “Egyptian Nights,” selections from incidental music written by Serge Prokofiev for a forgotten play based on Shakespeare, Shaw, and a poem by Pushkin also entitled “Egyptian Nights,” and a bit of British kitsch is Albert Ketelbey’s “In the Mystic Land of Egypt.”
