Opera in four acts with a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a story by Auguste Mariette

Recommended age: 12+

In the late 1860s, Giuseppe Verdi faced increasing difficulty in finding suitable librettos for his new works. A particularly active collaborator in this process was the French librettist and impresario Camille Du Locle, with whom Verdi had previously worked on the opera Don Carlos. Du Locle provided Verdi with a series of thematic suggestions, ranging from comic subjects that would continue the tradition inaugurated by Un ballo in maschera to grand themes suitable for the genre of grand opera.

A decisive moment came at the beginning of 1870, when Du Locle presented Verdi with a scenario created by the archaeologist and Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, based on a fictional story set in ancient Egypt. Although a year earlier, Verdi had declined to compose an inaugural hymn for the opening of the Suez Canal festivities, he accepted this new proposal for the opening of the new Cairo Opera House. For the libretto, Verdi selected Antonio Ghislanzoni, with whom he had previously collaborated on revising the opera La forza del destino.

The process of composing the opera continued throughout 1870, with Verdi maintaining his usual strict control over the creation of the libretto, even intervening in details such as the length and phrasing of the verses. Ultimately, Aida premiered in Cairo at the end of 1871, under the direction of conductor Giovanni Bottesini. The cast included Eleonora Grossi (Amneris), Antonietta Anastasi-Pozzoni (Aida), Pietro Mongini (Radames), and Francesco Steller (Amonasro), and the performance was met with significant success.

Later, Verdi paid special attention to the Italian premiere, held at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He made minor adjustments to the score and supervised the rehearsals of a carefully selected cast. This second performance, conducted by Franco Faccio, took place on February 8, 1872, and featured Maria Waldmann (Amneris), Teresa Stolz (Aida), Giuseppe Fancelli (Radames), and Francesco Pandolfini (Amonasro).

Although the performance was enthusiastically received by the audience, certain critical voices noted the presence of passages considered conventional or outdated. For this reason, Verdi expressed reservations about organizing further performances in Italy, insisting on the need for a meticulous staging. However, starting in 1870, Aida firmly established itself in the international operatic repertoire, a status it retains to this day.

The subject of the work integrates romantic themes, such as the fight for freedom or love that defies death. The action, however, centered on the slave Aida (who is an Ethiopian princess) and the brave Radames, whose love for each other persists despite ongoing political threats and the jealousy of Princess Amneris, takes place in the exotic setting of ancient Egypt.

The extraordinary premiere of Giuseppe Verdi's AIDA is a landmark event for the Cluj Opera, which celebrates its 105th Anniversary Season. The choice of this title is symbolic, as Aida was the inaugural performance of the Cluj Opera, first presented on May 25, 1920.

This premiere not only marks a significant artistic moment but also a long-awaited culmination of the institution’s artistic activity, especially since the anniversary production planned for 2020 – the year the Opera celebrated its Centenary as Romania's first lyrical institution – could not be performed due to the pandemic.

The performance is interpreted in Italian with Romanian subtitles.

The performance has three intermissions and will conclude around 10:00 PM.