A scene from LA Opera’s 2022 production of “Aida”Įvents reach a crisis stage when Radames returns victorious from yet another war with Ethiopia and the Pharaoh “rewards” him with the hand of his daughter in marriage. She is formidably matched by Tenor, Russell Thomas (Tosca, Titus) as her secret lover and army commander, Radames and Soprano, Melody Moore (The Broken Jug, Hansel and Gretel)as Amneris, not just her mistress, but a delightfully scheming rival and an Egyptian princess to boot. Soprano, Latonia Moore (Madama Butterfly, Porgy and Bess) as the Ethiopian slave, Aida is breathtaking with not only a voice that conveys power and emotion, but the acting chops to buttress it. “Verdi, in the hands of the incomparable James Conlon as conductor and a stellar cast, continues to remind us why Aida remains the quintessential opera we’ve come to love.” This grandest of the “Grand Operas” is in fact an intimate love story set against the sprawling backdrop of Egypt, and perhaps its greatest achievement is that never once, through the magnificent choruses, complex ensembles, elaborate ballets, and supernumeraries does it lose sight of its three star-crossed protagonists. Few have matched its exploration of the conflict between private emotion and patriotic duty, while also supplying an unforgettable score, arias, setting, and libretto. Thankfully, Aida was completed and premiered in Cairo in 1871 where it became a roaring success.Īida is one of the most performed operas in the world, a staple of the genre’s canon. But delays due to the Siege of Paris waylaid the plan and they ended up performing Rigoletto instead. No wonder he was commissioned to write the four-act opera to commemorate the opening of the Khedivial Opera House by Isma’il Pasha, Khedive of Egypt and granted the whopping 150,000 francs he demanded. In a remarkable career spanning six decades in the theater, Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) composed 28 operas, at least half of which are at the core of today’s repertoire. Latonia Moore (center) as Aida, with Melody Moore (left, in white) as Amneris and George Gagnidze (kneeling at right, in green uniform) as Amonasro in LA Opera’s 2022 production of “Aida” Photo: Cory Weaver/ LA Opera Who would have thought that Elizabeth Taylor and Verdi had something in common? Apparently, both demanded an exorbitant sum to avoid doing a project on Egypt, and both were granted their asking price, thereby leaving us legendary creations - Liz with 1963’s Cleopatra, Verdi with 1871’s Aida.

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