148 years since establishment of Opera Aida

CAIRO - 24 December 2019: Today is the 148th anniversary of the first presentation of Opera Aida in Cairo where it staged at the Khedive Opera House in Cairo on Dec. 24, 1871.

Opera Aida is a musical drama with a lyrical dialogue. It is a theatrical piece that includes scenes and dancing tabloids interspersed with music and divided into four chapters that embody the struggle between duty and passion. It tells the love story that arose between the Ethiopian prisoner Aida and Radames, the commander of the Egyptian army.

Opera Aida manuscripts were discovered by the French archaeologist Auguste Marietta in the Nile Valley. A manuscript is a 4-page story. Liberto was written by Gisella Nazzoni, and after getting translated and documented, it was composed by the Italian musician Verdi.

Opera Aida was written at the request of Khedive Ismail. Verdi composed the music for the opera for 150,000 francs of gold. The decor and costumes for the opera were designed in Paris at a cost of 250,000 francs.

Opera Aida was performed for the first time in 1871 at the old stage of the Khedive Opera House; however, Verdi was not able to attend. It was presented in Europe for the first time at the La Scala Theater in Italy in February of 1872.