Organization

Costume designer

Hugo De Ana

Chorus master

Violeta Dimitrova

Translator

Simeon Todorov

Accompanist

Yolanta Smolyanova

Pelagia Cherneva

Singer

Soprano

Radostina Nikolaeva

Aida

Bass

Nikolay Voynov

The King of Egypt

Mezzo-soprano

Gergana Rusekova

Amneris

Tenor

Kostadin Andreev

Radames

Baritone

Vesselin Mihaylov

Amonasro

Biser Georgiev

Ramfis

Emil Pavlov

A messenger

Lyubov Metodieva

A high priestess

Conductor

Zhorzh Dimitrov

Stage director

Set designer

Stage Manager

Vanesa Tsvetkova

Teodor Georgiev

Concert master

Maria Evstatieva

Assistant Director

Vera Beleva

Repetiteur

Svetlana Ananievska-Yankulova

Stefka Georgieva

Suzana Shomova

Julia Krasteva

Sofia Opera & Ballet

Belogradchik

Bulgaria

The Belogradchik Rocks

Aida Verdi

Public

Private

Approved

150 years since the first premiere of the Cairo Opera in 1871.

Love or fidelity - which of the two will prevail in the fatal impasse?

Aida, the Ethiopian princess enslaved in Egypt, is hopelessly drawn to her conqueror Radames. At the center of warring nations, she faces an impossible choice. Should he betray Radames to protect his homeland?

Or to surrender himself, entirely to love?

This opera is certainly not one of my worst ", without a drop of pretentious modesty, Verdi noted the European premiere of" Aida "in" La Scala "in 1872.

Five years earlier, in 1867. the Paris Grand Opera premieres his Don Carlos. The work was a great success, but in Verdi it left rather bad memories with the many messes of all kinds that preceded the production.

But there is one particularly positive aspect, and that is Verdi's acquaintance with Camille du Locle, one of the librettists of Don Carlos. He, along with Edouard Mariette, a prominent French historian and Egyptologist, with Antonio Gislanzoni, a famous poet and journalist, and Verdi himself formed the nucleus that formed the idea coming from the parable of the Ethiopian Princess Aida, read from ancient papyrus to the script, the texts in prose and verse, and finally until the premiere on December 24, 1871. at the recently built Cairo Opera House.

And despite the abundant correspondence between them, some important moments from the genesis of the work are shrouded in mystery!

What is the role of Ismail Pasha, the kedif of Egypt? Is it his credit for the idea, since it was he who, during one of his early military campaigns to Sudan, heard the story of Hades for the first time. Aren't his repeated, and at the same time unsuccessful, attempts to persuade Verdi to write an opera for the opening of the Suez Canal, as well as for the opening of the Cairo Opera House, built by Italian architects a year earlier. Many deny his contribution to the opera, citing the fact that Du Locle, as director of the Opera Comic in Paris, had already done his best to win Verdi over to Aida's cause, but justice required that we acknowledge Ismail Pasha's contribution.

Paul Dranet, director of the Cairo Opera, emphasizes Verdi's choice, which places him in the group of associates. By the way, he invited Verdi to write a solemn anthem for the opening of the Cairo Opera, Verdi politely refused, but in addition to apologies, unequivocally stated that writing "protocol" music is not in his custom!

Among the initiates, we can without hesitation include Verdi's wife, Giuseppina, the famous singers Teresa Stolz and Maria Waldman, the conductor Franco Facho, and of course Giulio Ricordi, the publisher of Verdi, one of his closest friends.

In the middle of 1870. Verdi began composing the work, and in mid-December, it was ready and began intensive preparations for the premiere. The Franco-Prussian War postponed the performance by six months, but during that time the work did not stop: the costumes were sewn in one of the most famous Parisian studios, the best workshops made the sets, a special manufactory designed and created a new model of trumpets, later known as "Aida-trumpets" in A and B.

The correspondence between all those involved, the transport, the logistics in general, at that level of communication, is surprising with the result.

This whole series of remarkable events and meetings from 1868. in Cairo, led to the premiere in 1871, to the culmination in Milan in 1872, to the "Divine" apogee in 1880. at the Paris Opera, and the quiet ending of this work in Verdi's winter residence in Genoa in 1891, when he summarized the last page of this famous work.

Thomas Mann notes that there are people who instinctively sense their longevity and have the time to achieve what they are looking for. Verdi no doubt had this feeling, enough to calmly consider his plans and ideas, to return, to rethink them, even to forget the sheet music for decades.

English

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew