La Scala went all out for its 1986 production of this grandest of grand operas, with a strong cast and, most important for a video recording, a larger-than-life staging. The Triumph Scene in Act II is by no means Aida's only attraction, but it is the part that makes the strongest and most lasting impression and it is the visual and musical climax of this production. Stage director Luca Ronconi brings on a procession to dwarf all processions: looted treasures, heroic statuary, miserable captives struggling under the lash of whip-bearing slave drivers. On par with these visuals is Lorin Maazel's first-class performance of the popular Grand March with the outstanding La Scala chorus and orchestra. In Act III, the contrasting tranquility of the Nile Scene also gets a visual treatment to match the music's qualities.
Production
Triumph Scene with literal elephants and hundreds
Acting
Pavarotti's Radamès: handsome, doomed, loud
Direction
Ronconi's staging makes fascist spectacle feel intentional
Director
Derek Bailey
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 1985 La Scala production reportedly used over 500 extras and live animals, making it one of the most expensive opera recordings ever committed to film.
Ronconi's Triumph Scene deliberately echoes Leni Riefenstahl's Nazi propaganda aesthetics, forcing viewers to confront how spectacle serves power—a controversial choice that divided critics.
IT
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