Verdi - Aida

Verdi - Aida

Conductor Paolo Arrivabeni leads the Orchestre et Choeurs de l’Opéra Royal de Wallonie in this performance of Aida. With 56 operas to his credit, this was his first time to conduct "Aida", although it is one of the most often performed operas around the world. Celebrated by both the public and critics, the Maestro enjoys a very successful international career. His wide repertoire revolves around the works of Italian composers of the 19th century. Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, based on the Italian libretto of Antonio Ghislanzoni. The plot is set in the so-called "Old Kingdom", presumably of Egypt. Aida revolves around intertwined story lines and love affairs complicated by political interference. Main characters Aida, an Ethiopian princess who has been enslaved by the Eqyptians, Egyptian military commander Radamès, whose feelings for her conflict with his political loyalty and the King's daughter Amneris, who is in love with Radamès. The opera was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and premiered there on 24 December 1871. Soloists of this interpretation, recorded 2014 in Liège, Belgium are Kristin Lewis, Massimiliano Pisapia, Nino Surgulazde, Mark Rucker, Luciano Montanaro, Roger Joakim, Chantal Glaude and Giovanni Iovino.