Giuseppe Verdi

Aida

Sep 21 – Jun 12

Tickets from $33.00 |

Price includes $10.00 fee

Hailed by the Financial Times as “an ingenious Aida,” Tony Award–winner Michael Mayer’s breathtaking production brings ancient Egypt to life with towering scenery and dazzling animated projections. Soprano Angel Blue reprises her celebrated portrayal of the title role, trading off with Anna Pirozzi and Leah Hawkins. Tenors Michael Fabiano and SeokJong Baek alternate as Aida’s forbidden lover, with mezzo-sopranos Judit Kutasi and Olesya Petrova as the imperious princess who comes between them.

Production sponsored by C. Graham Berwind, III

Revival a gift C. Graham Berwind, III

The Met gratefully acknowledges the support of Mastercard, the official payment partner of the Metropolitan Opera

Sung In

Italian

Met Titles In

  • English
  • German
  • Spanish
  • Italian

Estimated Run Time

3 hrs 15 mins

House Opens

Acts I and II

90 mins

Intermission

30 mins

Acts III and IV

75 mins

Opera Ends

Cast

Daniele Callegari

Conductor

Daniele Callegari

Performing

Mar 9, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29

Apr 2, 6, 9, 10, 13, 15, 18, 23
Marco Armiliato

Conductor

Marco Armiliato

Performing

Sep 21

May 15, 22, 28, 30

Jun 6
John Keenan

Conductor

John Keenan

Performing

Jun 12
Angel Blue

Aida

Angel Blue

Performing

Mar 9, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29

Apr 2, 6, 10, 15
Anna Pirozzi

Aida

Anna Pirozzi

Performing

Apr 9, 13, 18, 23
Leah Hawkins

Aida

Leah Hawkins

Performing

Sep 21

May 15, 22, 28, 30

Jun 6, 12
Judit Kutasi

Amneris

Judit Kutasi

Performing

Mar 9, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29

Apr 2, 6, 10, 15
Olesya Petrova

Amneris

Olesya Petrova

Performing

Sep 21

Apr 9, 13, 18, 23

May 15, 22, 28, 30

Jun 6, 12
Michael Fabiano

Radamès

Michael Fabiano

Performing

Mar 9, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29

Apr 2, 6, 10, 15
SeokJong Baek

Radamès

SeokJong Baek

Performing

Sep 21

Apr 9, 13, 18, 23

May 15, 22, 28, 30

Jun 6, 12
Quinn Kelsey

Amonasro

Quinn Kelsey

Performing

Mar 9, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29

Apr 2, 6, 10, 15
George Gagnidze

Amonasro

George Gagnidze

Performing

Apr 9, 13, 18, 23

May 15, 22, 28, 30

Jun 6, 12
Michael Chioldi

Amonasro

Michael Chioldi

Performed

Sep 21
Alexander Köpeczi

Ramfis

Alexander Köpeczi

Performing

Mar 9, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29

Apr 2, 6, 9, 10, 13, 15, 18, 23
Soloman Howard

Ramfis

Soloman Howard

Performing

Sep 21

May 15, 22, 28, 30

Jun 6, 12
Huanhong Li

King

Huanhong Li

Performing

Mar 9, 13, 17, 20, 25, 29

Apr 2, 6, 10, 15
Harold Wilson

King

Harold Wilson

Performing

Apr 9, 13, 18, 23

King

Krzysztof Baczyk

Performing

Sep 21

May 15, 22, 28, 30

Jun 6, 12

World premiere: Khedivial Opera House, Cairo, 1871. This grandest of grand operas features an epic backdrop for what is in essence an intimate love story. Set in ancient Egypt and packed with magnificent choruses, complex ensembles, and elaborate ballets, Aida never loses sight of its three protagonists. Few operas have matched Aida in its exploration of the conflict of private emotion and public duty, and perhaps no other has remained to the present day so unanimously appreciated by audiences and critics alike.

Creators

In a remarkable career spanning six decades in the theater, Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) composed 26 operas, at least half of which are at the core of today’s repertoire. His role in Italy’s cultural and political development has made him an icon in his native country. The story of Aida is thought to be the creation of Auguste Mariette (1821–81), an extraordinary French archaeologist who was the founder of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. Camille du Locle (1832–1903), who collaborated on the scenario with Mariette and suggested the story to Verdi, had worked with the composer on the libretto of Don Carlos. Aida’s librettist, Antonio Ghislanzoni (1824–93), was a novelist and poet as well as the creator of some 85 libretti.

  • composer

    Giuseppe Verdi

Production

Michael Mayer

SET DESIGNER

Christine Jones

COSTUME DESIGNER

Susan Hilferty

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Kevin Adams

Projection Design

59 Studio

CHOREOGRAPHER

Oleg Glushkov

Production Consultant

Stephen Pickover

C. Graham Berwind, III Chorus Director

Tilman Michael

Setting

The libretto indicates merely that the opera takes place in “ancient Egypt, in the time of the pharaohs.” This may sound vague, but it was a clear direction to approach the drama as myth rather than anthropology or history.

Music

The score of Aida is a sophisticated example of Italian Romanticism, imbued with a convincingly mysterious and exotic hue. Making no claims to authenticity, Verdi created a unique musical palette for this opera. The grandeur of the subject is aptly conveyed with huge patriotic choruses, most notably the unforgettable Triumphal Scene in Act II. These public moments often serve as frames for the solos of the leading tenor and soprano: his soaring “Celeste Aida” right at the beginning of Act I, her impassioned “Ritorna vincitor!” that follows, and her great internal journey, “Qui Radamès verrà! … O patria mia” in Act III.

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