AIDA

Set in a pseudo-historic vision of Ancient Egypt, Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida depicts a dramatic clash between Aida and Amneris, haughty princesses battling for the valiant warrior Radames’s love.

Aida had been commissioned for the inauguration of the Suez Canal, hence its reputation for cinemascopic dimensions – elephants included. The first Monaco performance in 1884 had to suffer cuts in the mass scenes due to the size of the Salle Garnier. In 2025, this poses problems no longer since Davide Livermore and his team can work in the expanse of the Grimaldi Forum where they have already proven an amazing creativity in using modern technology for breathtaking scenery.

At closer examination, however, her numerous arias, duets and trios reveal Aida’s intimate chamber musical side, which dominates most of the opera’s acts. Verdi’s writing for the voice and the colourful orchestral part are at their best when depicting what were often called “female weapons”: charm and seduction, slander, deception, and – once defeated – self-destruction and ruining of the cherished object.

In such situations, beautiful and refined singing counts  and a stellar cast, which shows you both sides of this magnificent opera: its grandeur, and its fragility!