Traitors, lovers, and a tomb that's somehow romantic? Verdi said 'let them eat drama.'
The Met’s spectacular production of Verdi’s Egyptian epic captures both the grandeur and the intimacy of this powerful tale of love and politics. Liudmyla Monastyrska is Aida, the Ethiopian princess-turned-slave in love with the Egyptian warrior Radamès, sung by Roberto Alagna. Olga Borodina is her rival, Amneris, daughter of the Pharao, and George Gagnidze sings Aida’s father, Amonasro, the King of Ethiopia. Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.
Production
Those sets! Actual elephants would feel small.
Acting
Monastyrska's 'O patria mia' will wreck you.
Direction
Frisell balances intimacy against impossible spectacle.
Director
Stephen Pickover
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This production debuted in 1988 and cost roughly $2 million—making it one of the most expensive operas ever staged at the Met.
Verdi was pressured to write something for the 1871 Cairo Opera House opening, and Aida became the ultimate colonial vanity project—an Italian composer writing about Egypt for a French-built theater.
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