Press Office18/07/2017
AIDA
Giuseppe Verdi
Arena di Verona
24 (first night), 30 June 9:00 pm
5, 9, 11, 16, 20, 23 July - 9.00 pm
On Saturday 24th June at 9.00 pm the Arena di Verona is hosting Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, the second opera of the 2017 Opera Festival. The opera returns with the futuristic production by the Catalan artistic team La Fura dels Baus, directed by Carlus Padrissa and Àlex Ollé.Set design is by Roland Olbeter, costumes by Chu Uroz, choreography by Valentina Carrasco and lighting design by the Arena’s Paolo Mazzon.
The opera features the Orchestra, the Chorus (under the direction of chorus master Vito Lombardi), the Dance Company coordinated by Gaetano Petrosino and the Technicians of the Arena di Verona, as well as numerous mimes and extras.
Further performances:30 June 9:00 pm - 5, 9, 11, 16, 20, 23 July 9:00 pm
Aida, with 650 performances since 1913 to the present day, this is the opera whose history, more than any other, is bound to the Verona amphitheatre, right from the first performance on 10th August 1913 which ratified the birth of the Arena’s Opera Festival, this year at its 95th edition.
The reading by directors Carlus Padrissa and Àlex Ollé is the result of an unusual interpretation of the opera:even if the libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni sets it in ancient Egypt, for La Fura dels Baus Aida represents“a megalomaniac concept of progress - a word that in 19th century Europe had enormous transcendence – perfectly visible in certain aspects of Egypt in that period, in spite of all the differences.”
The origin of the opera is well-known; Giuseppe Verdi was commissioned to compose the opera by the Khedive of Egypt Ismail Pasha for the inauguration of the Cairo Opera Theatre.But, due to the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war, on that occasion Rigoletto was staged and Aida was performed for the first time in 1871.
Even though Verdi had refused the request on behalf of the Khedive of Egypt to compose a hymn to celebrate the inauguration of the Suez Channel, there is no doubt that the imposing spirit of that work, an avant-garde project for that period and a true engineering masterpiece, can be heard in the music of Aida.In fact, the attraction for ancient Egypt and the fascination for the unlimited power of progress are combined in the Verdi opera
The production, as the directors stated, starts out precisely from here, with the aim of “achieving a synthesis of culture, spectacular aspects and the avant-garde.[… ] What we are interested in is ancient Egypt, because it provides the basis for this unifying leap between the remote past and the future.”The futurist concept of the opera is a synthesis of religion and science with constant attention being paid to the spectacular aspects, right from the prologue, which results in an archaeological expedition on stage and the discovery of an enormous sculpture which is sent to a western museum.
And the past opens up to the vicissitudes of Aida.
The Verdi opera, staged with the La Fura dels Baus production which inaugurated the 2013 Centenary Festival - and was proposed again in 2014 - will be performed on eight evenings:Julian Kovatchev, who conducted at the 2006 Opera Festival, will be on the podium.
In the leading role, Amarilli Nizza (24, 30/6 – 5/7) and Sae-Kyung Rim (9, 11, 16/7) are returning, while Irina Churilova (20, 23/7) is on her Arena debut; Radamès will be performed by Carlo Ventre (24, 30/6 – 5, 16, 20, 23/7) and Yusif Eyvazov (9, 11/7). As Aida’s rival Amneris, there will be Violeta Urmana (24, 30/6 – 5/7), Anastasia Boldyreva (9/7) and, for the first time on the Verona stage, Anna Maria Chiuri (11, 16, 20, 23/7).
In the role of Amonasro, the audiences will see Boris Statsenko (24, 30/6 – 5, 9, 11/7) and Leonardo López Linares (16, 20, 23/7), whereas the high priest Ramfis will be Giorgio Giuseppini (24, 30/6 – 5, 9/7), who will alternate with Marko Mimica (11, 16, 20, 23/7), on his debut.
The King will be performed by Deyan Vatchkov (24, 30/6 – 5, 9/7) and Romano Dal Zovo (11, 16, 20, 23/7); the cast is completed by a Messengerperformedby Antonello Ceron (24, 30/6 – 5, 9/7) and Cristiano Olivieri (11, 16, 20, 23/7) and the high priestess by Marina Ogii (24, 30/6 – 5, 9/7) and Tamta Tarieli (11, 16, 20, 23/7) on their debut.
Info
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OUR THANKS GO TO THE SUPPORTERS OF THE 2017 ARENA DI VERONA OPERA FESTIVAL
Thanks go to all the supporters of the 2017 Arena di Verona Opera Festival, in particular to UniCredit, leading European banking group, Major Partner of the Opera Festival for over twenty years, Special PartnerAGSM, Official SponsorsIntimissimi and Veronafiere, Automotive Partner Volkswagen Group Italia, Mobility Partner DB Bahn Italia and Media PartnerRadio Monte Carlo.