She's passionate. She's trapped. And she's torn.
But with everything on the line, she’s a woman who follows her heart.
No one should be put in her position! With war raging between their two countries, the Ethiopian slave, Aida, and the Egyptian princess, Amneris, both fall in love with the same Egyptian war hero. A slip of the heart and a slip of the tongue seal the fates of the beautiful Aida and her heroic Radames in this, opera’s most explosive tale. When he’s condemned to death, she slips into the dark crypt where they will be entombed together. Forever.
A huge orchestra and chorus bring Verdi’s score thundering to life, delivering punch and pageantry to Opera’s most spectacular work!
Sung in Italian with projected English translations.
Performance length is 3:15, which includes two intermissions.
Latecomers will not be seated until intermission.
| Aida | Lisa Daltirus (pictured above) |
| Amneris | Leann Sandel-Pantaleo |
| Radames | Philip Webb |
| Amonasro | Greer Grimsley |
| Ramfis | Keith Miller |
| Conductor | Vjekoslav Sutej |
| Stage Director | Sandra Bernhard |
ACT I. In ancient Egypt, near the royal palace at Memphis, Radames learns from the high priest, Ramfis, that Ethiopia soon may bring war to the Nile valley. The young officer hopes he will be chosen as commander of the army, envisioning triumph so he can free his beloved Aida, Ethiopian slave of the proud Princess Amneris. Amneris, who herself loves Radames, jealously senses his feelings for Aida when the three meet. A procession led by the King arrives to confirm that the Ethiopians are advancing on Thebes. He appoints the jubilant Radames as Egyptian commander. Left alone, Aida is torn between her love for Radames and for her native land. Though now a slave, she is in fact the daughter of Amonasro, king of Ethiopia. She prays to the gods for mercy.
ACT II. Ethiopia has been defeated. Amneris, prepares for Radames' triumphal entry into Thebes. When Aida approaches, the princess tries to learn Aida's private thoughts, first pretending Radames is dead, then saying he is still alive. Certain from Aida's reactions — horror, followed by joy — that her slave loves Radames, Amneris leaves for the festivities.
At the city gates, victory is celebrated in parade and dance, a ceremony observed by the King and Amneris. Radames is borne in and crowned with a victor's wreath. Captured Ethiopians follow, among them Amonasro, Aida's father, who signals her not to betray his identity as king. Impressed by Amonasro's eloquent plea, Radames asks as his reward that the priests' death sentence on the prisoners be overruled and that they be freed. The King grants this, as well as Amneris' hand, but keeps Amonasro in custody.
ACT III. Amneris is led by Ramfis to a temple of Isis for a wedding vigil. Nearby, waiting for Radames, Aida is overcome with nostalgia for her homeland. Amonasro, who suddenly appears, preys on these feelings, forcing his daughter to agree to ask Radames where the Egyptian army plans to enter Ethiopia. This she does when Radames appears. Just as he reveals the military secret, Amonasro steps out of hiding, and Ramfis and Amneris come forth from the temple. While Aida escapes with her father, Radames surrenders to the priests as a traitor.
ACT IV. Awaiting trial, Radames is unmoved by Amneris' offer to save him if he will renounce Aida and marry her. When he is led away, Amneris' pride dissolves, her love for Radames revealed by her agony in hearing him condemned to death. Enraged, the princess curses the judges. Buried alive in a crypt, Radames is joined by Aida, who has hidden there to share his fate. The lovers bid farewell to earth as Amneris, above the tomb, prays for peace.
--Courtesy of Opera News
“A fine thing, after thirty-five years, to end up as an imitator!”
--Verdi responding to some critics who accused him
of Wagnerism after the Milan premiere of Aida
There are a handful of operas that a person, relatively unfamiliar with the art form, could name when put on the spot.. Without a doubt, one of these will be Carmen, another The Barber of Seville and then, Aida. There might be some who mention The Magic Flute, Madame Butterfly or La Boheme, but both Carmen and Aida will be on virtually everyone’s short list.
Throughout Verdi’s career, he often found himself in need of a libretto. He could be a capricious and cantankerous critic of scenarios. But he was a consummate man of the theater with an unerring instinct. In the 1860s, he had his publisher Ricordi and Du Locle, impresario of the Opéra Comique (and the librettist for Don Carlos), looking for stories suited to his talent. Du Locle was determined to get Verdi a scenario. The Opéra Comique was in financial straits, and he found himself continually rejected by the Bear of Busetto, always with an admonition to find something different.
In Cairo in 1869, Draneht Bey, director of all of the Khedive of Egypt’s theaters, contacted Verdi, then the most popular opera composer. A “hymn” was desired for the opening of the Cairo Opera House. The answer was a resounding “No.” The offer was not acceptable to the savvy businessman. While in Paris, Du Locle approached him on behalf of Cairo again, this time with a larger offer, but Verdi once again demurred. Du Locle was not to be put off, however, and in an envelope containing a Spanish play of which Verdi had requested a perusal copy, he slid a “synopsis of an opera for a very Distant Country.” The “Distant Country” was, of course, Egypt, and the scenario that of Aida, which Du Locle credited famous Egyptologist Mariette Bey (“Bey” is an Egyptian honorific and appended to many Egyptian names) and the Egyptian Khedive for writing. Shrewd Verdi did not believe for a minute that the scenario he had read had been written by theatrical neophytes. In it he recognized “a very expert, experienced hand that knows the theater very well.” Verdi’s interest was piqued.
There is much evidence to dispute that Mariette’s story was purely original, though he claimed it as his own. This is not to say that he was a calculated plagiarist as his brother later accused, but an eminent Egyptologist who would have some knowledge of older Egyptian stories and legends. Charles Osborne points out an interesting coincidence of plot points between an 18th century libretto Nitteti by Metastasio and that of Aida. It is more than possible that Du Locle added some of the more human characteristics in Nitteti and also plot points seen in an opera Bajazet by Racine. Neither of these is the story of Aida, but Aida contains elements of both.
In her definitive 1992 biography of Verdi, Mary Jane Phillips-Matz puts forward the possibility that the entire scenario for Aida was by Temistocle Solera, erstwhile friend and librettist of Verdi’s who was living in Cairo at the time. Given the rancorous regard in which Verdi held Solera, it is no wonder that Du Locle would hesitate to credit the flamboyant librettist/composer with the work. She also adds a novel by Heliodorus, Aethiopica, as another source story for Aida.
Regardless of the literary pedigree of the story credited to Mariette, its dramatic possibilities intrigued Verdi, who agreed to set it for the Cairo Opera, although not for its opening. (Rigoletto opened the Cairo Opera in 1869.) For his librettist he secured Antonio Ghrislanzoni to translate Du Locle’s French libretto. Verdi was as particular and insistent with the creative process of Aida as ever he was with any of his others, with letters flying between France, Cairo and Milan, regarding everything from how far it was from Memphis to Thebes, to the artist needed to sing the mezzo role of Amneris. The Franco-Prussian War disrupted production for eight months. Sets and costumes were trapped in Paris, as was Mariette, who had designed them, and Du Locle, who was forced to communicate with Verdi through letters launched in hot air balloons from the roof of the Théâtre National dl’Opéra. Meanwhile, Verdi busied himself with preparations for the Milan premiere.
When Aida opened in both Cairo and Milan, the audience was universally thrilled. During the Triumphal March in Cairo, over 300 people were on stage—a huge number, especially since the theater sat only 600 that Christmas Eve in 1871. Since its inception, Aida has become a stalwart of the opera repertory, being translated into twenty languages, delighting audiences with spectacle, lush melodies, ravishing orchestrations and dramatic impact. With or without elephants, Aida remains one of the great “must sees” of a lifetime. If Verdi had written nothing else, he would be remembered for Aida.
--Alexis Hamilton
“That’s it! That’s the one! To work at once!”
--Verdi, on the feeling of finding the right libretto
![]() | In later life, Verdi liked to style himself as a self-taught peasant. This is not strictly true. While not fabulously wealthy, Verdi’s family was solidly middle class and his parents supported his musical passions going so far as to obtain for him an old spinet, which accompanied him all the rest of his life and bore the inscription of the tuner who repaired it for free, “in view of the young Giuseppe Verdi’s eagerness to learn to play this instrument.” While not self-taught, Verdi also did not receive the finest musical education available. After residing in Busseto for several years, he went to study in Milan, but the Milan Conservatory rejected his application, citing a lack of piano technique and “contrapuntal discipline.” Still they recognized him as a gifted composer. In 1835, Verdi returned to Busseto to serve as the maestro di musica. This offered Verdi some financial stability and he married in 1836. In 1839, his first opera, Oberto, opened happily and Verdi moved his family to Milan. La Scala commissioned three more operas and he began work on a comedy, Un giorno di regno. It was a resounding failure. Verdi lost his beloved wife during its composition, having previously lost his toddler daughter before he moved to Milan and his infant son before Oberto opened. The momentous grief he felt led him to vow he would compose no more. La Scala impresario Mirelli refused to accept Verdi’s decision. He told him, “Listen, Verdi, I cannot force you to compose! [But] my faith in you remains unshaken. Who knows whether you may or may not decide some day to begin to write again. Just let me know two months before a season and I promise you your opera will be given.” Verdi did indeed have another opera in him. It became Nabucco, his first international success. During the first phase of his career, Verdi created works frequently, often at the rate of two or three per year. His techniques of this period were perfected with Rigoletto (1851), Il Trovatore (1853) and La Traviata (1853), three of his most famous operas. Verdi took an active interest in Italian politics, and during the war for Italian independence from Austria he served as a senator. A commission for La forza del destino brought him back to the theater after a seven-year hiatus. This opera marks the beginning of what musicologists deem Verdi’s middle period, which includes Simon Boccanegra (1857) and Un ballo in maschera (1859). Verdi’s significant struggles with censors left him disillusioned with Italian opera companies and after Un ballo he never wrote for an Italian company again. Subsequently, his style began to expand and reflect more elements of French grand opera. Don Carlos and Les Vêspres Siciliennes were composed for the Paris Opera. Verdi’s most famous opera, Aida, is in the French grand opera style. Verdi’s final two works, Otello (1887) and Falstaff (1893) defy classification. They are the fruition of an extensive and brilliant career and are arguably the finest examples of tragedy and comedy in Italian opera. During the last years of his life, Verdi founded a home for aging musicians, the Casa di Riposo in Milan, for his second wife, singer Giuseppina Strepponi. He regarded this home, which still exists today, as his greatest work, a place for musical greats to spend their twilight years. He said it was for “people who are less fortunate than I.” He died on January 27, 1901 in Milan. His remains and those of his wife, Giuseppina Strepponi were moved shortly after Verdi’s initial burial to the Casa di Riposo, in accordance with his wishes. |
![]()
With a radiant voice of beauty, power, nuance and musicality, and a demanding stage presence, Lisa Daltirus is poised for a major career in Opera and Concert.
![]() |
Lisa Daltirus - AidaSopranoWith a radiant voice of beauty, power, nuance and musicality, and a demanding stage presence, Lisa Daltirus is poised for a major career in Opera and Concert. The 2002-2003 season marked her professional operatic début in the title role of Tosca with the New York Grand Opera of which the New York Times reported: "Imperious, her eyes ablaze, the very image of Tosca...she exuded an intangible electricity, that charge that comes across to the audience when something is really happening onstage.”
|
Following recent performances of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusicana, Leann Sandel-Pantaleo was praised by the Portland Press Herald with the exclamation that “she has a glorious voice…. and she took fire.”
Leann Sandel-Pantaleo - AmnerisMezzo-SopranoFollowing recent performances of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusicana, Leann Sandel-Pantaleo was praised by the Portland Press Herald with the exclamation that “she has a glorious voice…. and she took fire.” In the 2007-08 season, she sings her first performances of Amneris in Aida with El Paso Opera and returns to the Metropolitan Opera for Siegrune in Die Walküre and Flora in La Traviata. She also joins the Brooklyn Philharmonic for Stravinsky’s Pulcinella. Among her other upcoming engagements is her Houston Grand Opera debut as Ursule in Béatrice et Bénédict followed by Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, further performances of the title role in Carmen with Hawaii Opera Theater, and a return to the Metropolitan to reprise Siegrune in Die Walküre. In the summer of 2007, the mezzo sang her first performances of the title role in Carmen with Chautauqua Opera. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut as Flora in La Traviata in the company’s famed parks concerts, she has joined the company for numerous productions including Die Ägyptische Helena, Le Nozze di Figaro, Luisa Miller, Manon, Parsifal, and Die Walküre. Other recent performances include Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with PORT Opera in Maine and Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte with the Hat City Opera Theater. Also included in her previous operatic experience are performances with Michigan Opera Theatre, Indianapolis Opera, West Coast Lyric Opera, Starlight Theater, Caramoor Music Festival, New Amsterdam Opera and San Diego Comic Opera. A frequent oratorio soloist as well, the mezzo has appeared with many symphony orchestras, including Indianapolis, Alabama, Erie, Pacific, Nevada, La Jolla, Evansville, San Diego, Westchester, and Lafayette. Ms. Sandel-Pantaleo has won the Herbert Cohen Award in the Oratorio Society of New York’s Annual Solo Competition and was a Loren B. Zachary Competition finalist, Friedrich Schorr Competition winner, Musical Merit of San Diego winner, Bel Canto Competition finalist and Virginia Hawk Competition winner. A graduate of Indiana University, Ms. Sandel-Pantaleo began her commitment to music with an apprenticeship with Michigan Opera Theatre and work with the American Cabaret Theatre. |
![]()
Previously at Portland Opera: Aida, 2008; Norma, 2007
Philip Webb is an American tenor who has received critical acclaim after launching his career in operatic and classical music. In 1993, after nearly twelve years as a church music minister, Webb was encouraged by the renowned bass Giorgio Tozzi to pursue a career in opera.
![]() |
Philip Webb - CalafTenorPreviously at Portland Opera: Aida, 2008; Norma, 2007 Philip Webb is an American tenor who has received critical acclaim after launching his career in operatic and classical music. In 1993, after nearly twelve years as a church music minister, Webb was encouraged by the renowned bass Giorgio Tozzi to pursue a career in opera. He immediately embarked on an intensive program of studies and training. In the fall of 1993 he began studying vocal technique with one of the best-known vocal teachers of her day, Margaret Harshaw, formerly of the Metropolitan Opera and the Indiana School of Music. In 2001 he began a series of studies with the internationally acclaimed Verdian tenor Carlo Bergonzi. Philip continues his vocal studies with the renown voice teacher Seth Riggs of Los Angeles. Seth has become well known for his vocal technique, especially in the area of pop music. However, Seth's roots are in operatic singing and his teaching has been very influential in Philip's career and he continues to be involved in all of his future role preparations.In January of 1994, he witnessed his first professional opera production, 'Norma', performed by Virginia Opera. This was also, in effect, his first professional assignment, as he covered the role of Pollione. In the summer of 1994 he sang his first operatic role as Cavaradossi in a summer production of Tosca at the University of Chicago. He sang his first lead role with a major company in 1996, Edgardo with Virginia Opera. Since that time, his vocal achievements have accelerated as he has performed in major theaters across the world. Philip Webb came to an operatic career late in life and as a result his voice is refreshingly new and strong. After beginning his career in primarily lyric roles, he has branched out to the lyric spinto roles and established himself as a unique performer of the more dramatic Verdi roles. Philip's short career has encompassed a wide spectrum of roles and their interpretations. |
![]()
American Bass-Baritone Greer Grimsley has gained international recognition as an outstanding singing actor and is one of leading interpreters of the Wagnerian repertoire.
![]() | Greer Grimsley - Don PizarroBass-BaritoneAmerican Bass-Baritone Greer Grimsley has gained international recognition as an outstanding singing actor and is one of leading interpreters of the Wagnerian repertoire. In Seattle Opera’s recent Der Ring des Nibelungen, the Seattle Times says “Grimsley’s big, resplendent voice is the right size and color for this vital role; as Wotan, he sounds like a singer who has found his true home. He’s an adept actor, too, never overplaying his hand and relating to the rest of the cast with unflagging intensity.” Additionally, Mr. Grimsley made his Metropolitan debut as Captain Balstrode in Peter Grimes and has subsequently performed there as Escamillo in Carmen, Jokanaan in Salome, Scarpia in Tosca, Telramund in Lohengrin and Amfortas in Parsifal. Mr. Grimsley first came to international attention as Escamillo in the Peter Brook production of La tragédie de Carmen, which he has sung in venues around the world, including his Italian debuts at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Engagements during the 2006-2007 Season included the title role in Der Fliegende Holländer with the Seattle Opera, the title role in Macbeth with Vancouver Opera, the title role in Der Fliegende Holländer in Lithuania, High Priest in Samson et Dalila with San Diego Opera, Claggart in Billy Budd with Pittsburgh Opera, Rigoletto with San Francisco Opera, and Wotan in Siegfried in Venice. Additional recent engagements include Jokanaan in Salome with Michigan Opera Theater and Santa Fe Opera, Jack Rance in La fanciulla del West and Telramund in Lohengrin with Seattle Opera, as well as Scarpia in Tosca and the title role in Der Fliegende Holländer with Pittsburgh Opera, the title role in Bluebeard’s Castle with Montreal Opera, his debut as Wotan in Stephen Wadsworth’s Der Ring des Nibelungen with Seattle Opera Summer 2005, Scarpia in Tosca with Portland Opera, and Wotan in Die Walküre in Venice. In concert, he recently performed Verdi’s Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony at Carnegie Hall and Scarpia in Tosca with Deborah Voight and the Minnesota Orchestra. During the 2007-2008 Season, Mr. Grimsley performed Scarpia in Tosca with the Seattle Opera, Mephistopheles in Faust with New Orleans Opera, Verdi Requiem with the Teatro Colon, Schnittke’s Faust Cantata with the Gulbenkian Orchestra under Rolf Beck, Don Pizzarro in Fidelio with the Saint Louis Symphony, and Amonasro in Aida with Portland Opera. Engagements for the 2008-2009 Season include Don Pizzarro in Fidelio with Opera Company of Philadelphia and Portland Opera, Scarpia in Tosca with San Diego Opera, and Jokanaan in Salome with the Vancouver Opera and Opera Pacific, the Der Ring des Nibelungen with the Seattle Opera. Previous European engagements have included the title role in Der Fliegende Holländer at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna under Maestro Gatti’s baton, Telramund in Lohengrin, and Mandryka in Arabella with the Royal Danish Opera, Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde with the Prague National Theatre, the Royal Danish Opera, and the Opera de Bellas Artes in Mexico, the title role in Der Fliegende Holländer in Nancy, France, Mephistopheles in Faust in Oviedo, Spain, Jochanaan in Salome with the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Aarhus-Den Jyske Opera in Denmark, the Scottish Opera, and the Opera de Bellas Artes in Mexico, Don Pizarro in Fidelio with the Scottish Opera, the title role in Don Giovanni and Scarpia in Tosca with the Stadttheater Basel in Switzerland, the Villains in Les contes d’Hoffmann with New Israeli Opera, and Amonasro in Aïda with Opera de Caracas in Venezuela. Mr. Grimsley has performed Escamillo in Carmen with the Seattle Opera, Baltimore Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Vancouver Opera, Edmonton Opera, the St. Louis Symphony, the Teatro Real, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Scottish Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and at the Bergenz Festival in Austria. He created the role of Canyka in the world premiere of Ashoka’s Dream with Santa Fe Opera and performed the Count de Luna in the American premiere of Verdi’s French-language version of Il trovatore, Le Trouvère. He has also performed at the Wexford Festival in Ireland as Richard Lionheart in Marschner’s Der Templer und Die Juden. Mr. Grimsley made his New York Philharmonic debut as Don Pizzaro in Fidelio with conductor Kurt Masur at the inaugural season of the Lincoln Center Festival.
|
Keith Miller - Count MonteroneThis season bass-baritone Keith Miller returned to the Metropolitan Opera for roles in Madama Butterfly, War and Peace, Ernani, and the new production of Macbeth.
![]() | Keith Miller - Count MonteroneBass-BaritoneThis season bass-baritone Keith Miller returned to the Metropolitan Opera for roles in Madama Butterfly, War and Peace, Ernani, and the new production of Macbeth. Mr. Miller made his debut there last season in the new production of Madama Butterfly, and also appeared in Faust, Rigoletto, Eugene Onegin, Andrea Chenier, and Gianni Schicchi (which was broadcast live in HD in movie theaters around the world). This spring he returned to the Portland Opera as Ramphis in Aida; and next season he makes his role and house debut as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Florida Grand Opera, and returns to both the Met and the Portland Opera for Monterone in Rigoletto, and to the Met again for the Bonze in Madama Butterfly. A recent graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts, Mr. Miller appeared there as Leporello and Masetto in Don Giovanni, Dulcamara in L'elisir d'amore, Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro. Other past opera engagements include the Bonze in Madama Butterfly with Portland Opera, Leporello, Simone in Gianni Schicchi, Monterone and Sparafucile in Rigoletto, and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Crested Butte Music Festival; Alidoro in La cenerentola with the Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Il Bonzo with Emerald City Opera, Colline in La Bohème with the Pouhgkeepsie Opera, and Don Alfonso with Oberlin in Italy. In concert, Mr. Miller's recent engagements include Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Fanshawe Chorus London in Ontario, Colline in a concert version of La Bohème with the Rockford Symphony, and Handel's Messiah with the Chamber Opera of Philadelphia. Before pursing his career as a singer, Mr. Miller played professional football for 5 years and had the honor of being an Olympic Torch Bearer for the 1996 Games in Atlanta. |
![]()
Vjekoslav Sutej is Musical Director and Principal Conductor of The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and a professor of conducting at the Zagreb Academy of Music.
![]() |
Vjekoslav Sutej - ConductorVjekoslav Sutej is Musical Director and Principal Conductor of The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and a professor of conducting at the Zagreb Academy of Music.
|
![]()
![]() |
Sandra Bernhard - Stage DirectorAs a member of San Francisco Opera since 1990, Sandra Bernhard has served as an assistant director for over 30 productions and as a coach and instructor of acting for the Merola Opera Program. At the San Francisco Opera, she has directed Tosca (2001/2002/2004), Samson et Dalilah (2001), Carmen (1998), Madama Butterfly (1995), L'elisir d'amore (1992/2000), a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor (1994/1999), and a new production of La Bohème (1993), which led the San Francisco Chronicle to remark, "Finally, we had a La Bohème with a jolting and satisfactory blend of comedic detail and pathos, of romance, poetry and realism." She also staged concert presentations of Ermione, Lucia Silla, and Daphne, as well as the Merola Program's Grand Finals from 1991 through 1995, and the San Francisco Opera Guild and San Francisco Opera Center's production of Hänsel und Gretel (1996).
|
Sorry, flash is not available.
Sorry, flash is not available.
Sorry, flash is not available.
Sorry, flash is not available.
Sorry, flash is not available.
Musical excerpts used courtesy of Angel Records/EMI Classics.
To purchase tickets through the Portland Opera,
call 503-241-1802, M-F, 9a-5p.