Aida

Inclusive opera booklet

Giuseppe Verdi

Introduction

Aida
by Giuseppe Verdi

Opera in four acts.

Libretto by
Antonio Ghislanzoni

This is the accessible program booklet for Aida by Giuseppe Verdi.
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Introduction

Synopsis

Act I

The winds of war are blowing in Memphis. Ramfis informs Radamès that the Ethiopians are readying to invade Egypt. The young warrior hopes to receive the high command of the army and appear valorous in the eyes of the woman he secretly loves – Aida. She is the Ethiopian slave of Amneris, the daughter of the Pharaoh. The Egyptian princess is also in love with Radamès and suspects that her slave is also her rival. A messenger confirms the invasion of the Ethiopians under the command of King Amonasro, Aida’s father. The Pharaoh announces that the oracle has chosen Ramadès as their supreme commander. Aida, now alone, is torn between irreconcilable emotions: she desires Radamès to be victorious and, at the same, hopes that Amonasro destroys the Egyptian forces.

The stage is formed by a large, inclined platform that reflects the light. At the center stands a large mechanical hand over twenty meters in height made of metal. The hand is surrounded by blue laser lights that rise upwards diagonally. Above the stage and perpendicular to the hand hangs a silver sphere that gives off other beams of blue laser light. The lights descend towards the stage diagonally, outlining a large pyramid above it. In front of the hand stand Ramfis and Radamès. They are flanked to the right and left by priests and priestesses wearing white robes. They are holding spears topped with white papier-mâché hands that are open. The palms face the crowd with the left eye of the falcon-headed god Horus depicted on them. In front of the stage, both to the left and right, are located two smaller platforms that are not inclined. Supernumeraries stand upon them, wearing long robes that are white at the bottom and black on the top. Their heads and faces are covered by masks that represent Egyptian deities, including the god Anubis with the head of a jackal. Behind the stage are the concentric tiers of seats that form the arena, whose border is illuminated with white LEDs. On those to the right lies a Corinthian column in ruins, while on those to the left lies the wreckage of futuristic machines.

Act I
Ramfis, Radamès, priests and priestesses.

She is standing at the center of the stage. She is wearing a long sleeve white suit completely covered by a sleeveless robe. The robe has a wide collar with white, red, blue and yellow stripes. Strings of the same colors descend from the collar covering the figure of Aida to her feet. She has black hair with a few red locks. It is pulled back and held in place by a chignon on the nape of her neck. On her forehead, she is wearing light red and purple makeup covered with multicolored glitter. The sides of her neck are decorated with silver glitter that forms a sort of upside down “V”.

Act I
Aida.

Act II

Under the guise of friendship, Amneris puts Aida’s feelings to the test by telling her that Ramadès has been slain in battle. Aida’s desperation confirms Amneris’ suspicions. The princess unveils her deception: Radamès is alive and she too is in love with him. A short while later, a triumphal procession enters Thebes, celebrating the victorious Radamès. The king pledges to grant his every desire. The Ethiopian prisoners are also in the procession, including Amonasro, who pretends to be merely an officer and pleads for mercy for the captives. Ramfis calls for their deaths while Radamès asks for the prisoners to be freed. The king finds a compromise: Aida and Amonasro will remain in Egypt as hostages to guarantee peace, and all of the others will be set free. The marriage between the victor and Amneris is then announced.

The stage is again dominated by the large hand, illuminated by beams of white light and surrounded by dense clouds of smoke. At the back of the stage, the spears with white hands can be seen to the right while the spears with the black hands are to the left. They are all made of papier-mâché. In front of the large hand, male and female dancers occupy the entire stage. They are standing and facing the right with both their right leg and their arms extending forwards. They are wearing tight beige colored suits decorated with designs of black hieroglyphs. On top of their suits, they are wearing sparkling silver netting accented with crystals with silver caps on their heads.

Act II
Male and female dancers.

Aida and Amneris, Act II. Aida is on her knees at the center of the stage. Behind her stands Amneris. Aida is wearing a long sleeve black suit, completely covered by a sleeveless robe. The robe has a wide collar with light green, dark green and blue strips. Strings of the same colors fall from the collar covering the figure of Aida to her feet. She has black hair tied in a long braid. She has makeup on her forehead and the sides of her neck are decorated with glitter. Amneris is wearing a floor length Bordeaux robe. It is open in the front and accented with strings of stone of the same color that reflect the light. Underneath she is wearing a floor length Bordeaux suit. On her head, she is wearing a tall, cylindrical, black headdress that widens slightly at the top. It is decorated with strings of black stones. She is also wearing black gloves and black makeup on her eyelids.

Act II
Aida and Amneris.

Act III

Amneris is praying inside the temple of Isis on the eve of her wedding. Aida also arrives outside to meet with Radamès. Amonasro appears and is plotting to ambush the Egyptian army. He has become aware of the love between Aida and Radamès, and takes advantage of his daughter’s feelings to pursue his vendetta. He promises her that she will return home but on one condition: she must make her beloved reveal the route the Egyptian forces will take. Reluctantly, Aida manages to convince Radamès, and he tells her the route, but Amonasro comes out of hiding and reveals his true identity, ruining everything. The situation escalates as Amneris comes out of the temple and cries treason. Amonasro lunges at her to kill her, but Radamès stops him. Radamès hands the sword over to Ramfis and allows himself to be arrested, while Aida flees with her father.

The stage is again dominated by the large hand, illuminated by beams of white light and surrounded by dense clouds of smoke. The male and female dancers are standing next to each other and occupy the center of the stage. On top of their suits they are now wearing long white robes made of tulle. In their hands, they are holding long white illuminated staffs, similar to laser swords. They are held pointing upwards.

Act III
Male and female dancers.

Act IV

With her pride wounded, Amneris is torn between her desire to save Radamès or to destroy him. She has him brought to her. She begs him to deny the accusations and she will ask for the king’s pardon. Radamès refuses, and, having lost Aida, he prefers to die. He resists Amneris’s entreaties even when she reveals to him that Aida is still alive and she promises him freedom if he renounces his love for her slave. Radamès is then led back to his prison cell, and his sentence is handed down shortly thereafter: Radamès is to be buried alive. The priests close Radamès in a vault, but Aida is there waiting for him. She slipped in unseen to die with the man she loves. Meanwhile, Amneris, defeated, prays for peace.

Radamès and Aida are on their knees side by side within an iron structure in the form of a pyramid that recalls the one outside the Louvre. Both are dressed in white and hold their hands up in front of them. Aida is wearing light red and purple makeup on her forehead covered with multicolored glitter, while Radamès, has a small black line at the center of his.

Act IV
Radamès and Aida.

Aida and Radamès, Act IV. They are standing at the center of the stage in front of the pyramid and are holding hands. They are wearing loose fitting white robes that are floor length and open in the front. Underneath, both are wearing floor length garments made of the same color. Aida has her hair pulled back and held in place by a chignon on the nape of her neck. On her forehead, she is wearing light red and purple makeup covered with multicolored glitter. Radamès has short black hair and a beard. At the center of his forehead is a small black line.

Act IV
Aida and Radamès.

Synopsis

Characters

The King [bass]
Amneris, daughter of the King [mezzo-soprano]
Aida, Ethiopian slave [soprano]
Radamès, Captain of the Guard [tenor]
Ramfis, High Priest [bass]
Amonasro, King of Ethiopia and father of Aida [baritone]
A messenger [tenor]
High Priestess [soprano]

Priests, Priestesses, Ministers, Captains, Soldiers, Officials, Ethiopian Slaves and Prisoners, Egyptians

Characters

Director’s Notes

The story of Aida is one of a world at war that divides two brotherly, neighboring peoples, turning them into mortal enemies. War is, indeed, the backdrop to the entire production, which ends, however, in a whisper for peace.

Director Stefano Poda in fact, sees Aida as “a Dantesque journey from an infernal beginning to a finale with a celestial vision.” The beginning of the opera sets up a series of extreme tensions and conflicts comparable to infernal perdition. The story of the main characters is like a journey through numerous stages that ends in an ascent towards liberation, towards a sort of paradise.

Other aspects of Aida represent polar opposites. Religion is described as an element of profound union and, at the same time, of extreme violence. Eros and Thanatos represent, respectively, the impulse for life and the instinct for death and destruction.

The staging designed by Poda, therefore, reflects this dualism and was conceived as an art installation that represents a world made of steel, silver, mirrors, glass and transparency. This world is cold and pure, ethereal and merciless, and, at the same time, technological thanks to the use of LEDs and lasers that create virtual pyramids. The stage is dominated by a large mechanical hand made of metal with moving fingers. It is mounted on an inclined and reflective platform. This hand is a monument to humanity in its highest dimension in that individuals have to decide how to use their infinite potential – for good or for evil. It is surrounded my numerous smaller hands that are black on the left and white on the right, all mounted on spears. They represent the power to build and to destroy, and are used to make sacred gestures, but also to kill. Behind the stage, a Corinthian column lies in pieces, like ruins, on the tiers of seating to the right. To the left lies the wreckage of futuristic machines that represent the tragic consequences of war throughout history and the destructive use of technology.

Director’s Notes

Credits

Technical implementation
Tadao Agency.

Descriptions
Elena Di Giovanni, Francesca Raffi.

Videos in ISL
Monika Nawrot

Voices:
Marco Quaglia (texts)
Giulia Heathfield Di Renzi (audio descriptions)

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Credits