by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

We all are accustomed to the grandeur of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, which takes place in the Egypt of the pharaohs. The story – about the enslaved Ethiopian princess, Aida, who becomes romantically entangled with the young warrior Radamès, who is betrothed to the Pharaoh’s daughter, Amneris – has conquered audiences through the decades up to being adapted by Elton John and Tim Rice with the musical ‘Aida.’

Elephants, horses and frills have always been part of the staging of the forbidden love of Aida, who is forced to find balance between her heart’s yearning for Radamès, and her responsibility to lead her people. The mise-en-scène of Verdi’s four act opera has always been flamboyantly rewarding for the senses, from the 1873 production at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, to the 1886 in Rio de Janeiro at Theatro Lyrico Fluminense where a 19 year old cellist, who was assistant to the chorus master was persuaded to take the baton for the performance, to solve the dispute between the opera company and the inept local conductor. His name was Arturo Toscanini and Aida surely brought him luck with his outstanding career.

After 144 years of representations, Aida is conducted by the Indian maestro Zubin Mehta with a very minimalist post-modern staging by Peter Stein. Kirstin Lewis embodies the Ethiopian princess who confronts on stage the remarkable Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili as Amneris. The “Verdian” tenor Fabio Sartori, who was to sing as Radamès fell ill and was substituted by Massimiliano Pisapia (who is not related to Milan’s mayor Giuliano Pisapia, as was jokingly announced before the performance). Baritone Carlo Colombara returns to Teatro alla Scala as the King, whereas Ramfis is performed by Matti Salminen, and the great priestess is embodied by Chiara Isotton.

Without doubt the utmost pulchritudinous stagings of Aida have been those by Franco Zeffirelli, the most memorable is the “historical” one of 1963 with a touch of Belle Epoque and Colonial Umbertino Style. Nevertheless the zenlike-j’adoreDior staging by the German theatre director focuses on the characters intimately. Thus the relationship betwixt them and their inner turmoil and solitude are amplified, in contrast to the great historical conflicts that soak in blood the Valley of the Nile.

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