Lyric Opera 2023-2024 Issue 7 - Aida

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 24 Aida (1871), the last opera of Giuseppe Verdi’s late middle period—with a long gap before his two dazzling final collaborations with Arrigo Boito, Otello (1887) and Falstaff (1893)—is among his most beloved. Its sheer number of performances puts it at or near the very top of all operas, worldwide, despite the special difficulties of staging a work requiring such large human (and sometimes animal!) forces. Aida is universally admired for the daring and passion of its music, and it is loved, too, for its dazzling spectacle. Most of all, however, it draws us through its tragic human drama. Today we find two common misconceptions about Aida . The first is that it is primarily a pageant, an outward-facing, grand spectacle. True, Verdi loved spectacle, and the opera certainly has some—but spectacle is the least of the work’s achievements. Its famous triumph scene is relatively static and therefore hard to connect to the heart of the drama. At its core, Aida is a very private work. Much of it consists in intimate exchanges among three people, and great Aida : War, Enemy of Love Often viewed as simply a clash between nations,Verdi’s great war tragedy derives its power from profoundly personal interactions by Martha C. Nussbaum Left: Teatro alla Scala,Milan,Italy, where Aida received its Italian premiere. Below: An 1886 portrait of Giuseppe Verdi by Giovanni Boldini. La Scala Galleria Comunale d’Arte