Aida

About

The State opera Chorus and Orchestra

Ever since its triumphant premiere in Cairo on 24 December 1871, the opera Aida, depicting a romantic story of love and betrayal against the backdrop of a military conflict, has been a staple of the repertoire of opera houses all over the world. To commission from the Viceroy of Egypt, the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette wrote a scenario for an opera, which immediately intrigued Verdi. Paying great attention to preparing the work, whose libretto was penned by Camille du Locle, the composer even travelled to Egypt so as to further his knowledge of the country. Back in Milan, Verdi had specially made for his opera “Aida trumpets”, modelled on Ancient Egyptian instruments. 

The current State Opera production was premiered in 1994. The renowned Egyptian painter Hafíz Abdel Farghali gave a genuine Egyptian colour to the sets which, together with Josef Jelínek’s exquisite costumes, contributed to the great success of the performances.

The production also met with a tremendous response during the State Opera Prague’s two tours of Japan – in 2001, the role of Radames was portrayed by the world-famous artist José Cura, and in 2005 the celebrated singer Maria Guleghina performed with our company.