Met Opera: Aida

Showings

Mary D. Fisher Theatre Sat, Aug 8, 2015 1:00 PM

Description

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: Amneris, the proud daughter of the pharaoh; her slave, Aida, who is the princess of the rival kingdom of Ethiopia; and Radamès, the Egyptian warrior they both love. 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.

Synopsis:

ACT I: Egypt, during the reign of the pharaohs. At the royal
palace in Memphis, the high priest Ramfis tells the warrior
Radamès that Ethiopia is preparing another attack against
Egypt. Radamès hopes to command his army. He is in love
with Aida, the Ethiopian slave of Princess Amneris, the king’s
daughter, and he believes that victory in the war would enable
him to free her and marry her. But Amneris loves Radamès,
and when the three meet, she jealously senses his feelings for
Aida. News arrives that the Ethiopians are advancing, and the
king names Radamès to lead the army. Aida is torn between
her love for Radamès and loyalty to her native country, where
her father, Amonasro, is king. She prays to the gods for mercy.
In the temple of Vulcan, the priests consecrate Radamès, and
Ramfis orders him to protect the homeland

ACT II: Ethiopia has been defeated, and Amneris waits for the
triumphant return of Radamès. Alone with Aida, she tries to
learn her slave’s private feelings by first pretending that Radamès
has fallen in battle, then saying he is still alive. Aida’s
reactions leave no doubt that she loves Radamès. Amneris is
certain she will be victorious over her rival. At the city gates,
the king and Amneris observe the victory celebrations and
crown Radamès with a victor’s wreath. Captured Ethiopians
are led in. Among them is Amonasro, Aida’s father, who signals
his daughter not to reveal his identity as king. Radamès
is impressed by Amonasro’s eloquent plea for mercy and asks
for the prisoners to be freed. The king grants his request but
keeps Amonasro in custody. The king declares that as a victor’s
reward, Radamès will have Amneris’s hand in marriage.

ACT III: On the eve of Amneris’s wedding, Ramfis and Amneris
enter a temple on the banks of the Nile to pray. Aida, who
is waiting for Radamès, is lost in thoughts of her homeland.
Amonasro suddenly appears. Invoking Aida’s sense of duty,
he makes her agree to find out from Radamès which route the
Egyptian army will take to invade Ethiopia. Amonasro hides
as Radamès arrives and assures Aida of his love. They dream
about their future life together, and Radamès agrees to run
away with her. Aida asks him about his army’s route, and just
as he reveals the secret, Amonasro emerges from his hiding
place. When he realizes that Amonasro is the Ethiopian king,
Radamès is horrified by what he has done. While Aida and
Amonasro try to calm him, Ramfis and Amneris step out of the
temple. Father and daughter are able to escape, but Radamès
surrenders to the priests.

ACT IV: Radamès awaits trial as a traitor, believing Aida to be
dead. Even after he learns that she has survived, he rejects an
offer by Amneris to save him if he renounces Aida. When he is
brought before the priests, he refuses to answer their accusations
and is condemned to be buried alive. Amneris begs for
mercy, but the judges will not change their verdict. She curses
the priests. Aida has hidden in the vault to share Radamès’s
fate. They express their love for the last time while Amneris, in
the temple above, prays for Radamès’s soul.

CONDUCTOR: Fabio Luisi
PRODUCTION: Sonja Frisell
SET DESIGNER: Gianni Quaranta
COSTUME DESIGNER: Dada Saligeri
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Gil Wechsler
CHOREOGRAPHER: Alexei Ratmansky
LIVE IN HD HOST: Renée Fleming
LIVE IN HD DIRECTOR: Gary Halvorson

Cast in order of vocal appearance:
RAMFIS: Štefan Kocán
RADAMÈS: Roberto Alagna
AMNERIS: Olga Borodina
AIDA: Liudmyla Monastyrska
THE KING: Miklós Sebestyén
A MESSENGER: Hugo Vera
A PRIESTESS: Jennifer Check
AMONASRO: George Gagnidze