After two years in waiting, the extravagant production of Verdi's Aida opens today in its original setting, the Pyramids of Giza. Nevine El-Aref discusses the production's new look Click to view caption The vast sands surrounding the Giza Pyramids were the site of frenzied activity this week as preparations were underway for the grand production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida. Adding the final touches for the four-day performance -- which starts today -- hundreds of workmen and production experts were installing the lighting system, fixing the sound and loading the 1,194 pieces of decorative accessories especially made for the performance. After a two-year break -- caused by security arrangements for the 2000 Egyptian parliamentary elections and the 11 September attacks in the US the following year -- the three-act opera telling the epic love story of the Egyptian army chief Radames and Aida, captive daughter of his arch-enemy, the King of Ethiopia, will have a new set. "This year's production will be better than ever," Culture Minister Farouk Hosni says. Aida 2002 represents the first cooperative effort between the Ministry of Culture and the privately- owned Al-Mazalat Foundation for Art and Media Production, which has produced the event in several countries around the world. The company's last production of Aida was in March 2002 in Qatar as part of the Doha Cultural Festival. The Cairo Opera House will provide the necessary musicians, chorus, ballet artists and technicians along with the stage, accessories and decoration. Al-Mazalat is financing and conducting the promotional campaign and handling the arrangements for the internationally-acclaimed opera singers. "The solar disc-shaped stage and the spectators' seats were redesigned to suit the production's new look," Hosni said. The stage was constructed last year by Engineer Mahmoud Haggag. Thirty-six changing-rooms for the cast were added to the lower part of the stage. Using hydraulic technology, the stage will rise to the height of seven floors during some scenes. Scene changing will be electronically controlled, and the number of seats has been increased to 5,000, divided into six rows. Tickets for foreigners will range from $150 to $400, while Egyptians and foreign residents in Egypt will pay LE50 to LE400. Special discounts will be made for foreign and Egyptian students. For his part, Samir Farag, head of the Cairo Opera House, says the Aida 2002 production shows a noticeable improvement in facilities and services over previous shows. A service area has been set up in the theatre's court area for food and beverages, rest rooms and a 4,000-car capacity parking lot. To help the promotional campaign for Aida 2002, Farag said, the event was added to the programmes of tourism agencies and offices around the world. Ticket kiosks were also set up at Luxor, Sharm El-Sheikh and Alexandria, while a Web site was designed to boost promotion and ticket sales. "To produce a more distinguished and extravagant performance, Aida is directed with a new vision," said Cairo Opera House Artistic Director Abdel-Moneim Kamel, who is directing Aida for the third time. He added that the ballet, choreographed by dance designer Erminia Kamel, would be more Pharaonic than on previous occasions and would be projected on the Pyramid's wall. Live horses and elephants will appear in the victory scene. Farag said that almost 754 artists would take part in the performance: 400 of them extras, 122 musicians of the Cairo Opera Orchestra, 150 members of the Italian Acaballa chorus and 60 Egyptian dancers, along with 22 Egyptian and foreign opera singers. The cast includes Elena Zelenskaya and Marie-Elena Adami as Aida, Stephen O'Mara and Kristjan Johansson as Radames, Frank Ferrari as Amonasro, and Tiziana Carraro and Sarah M'Punga as Amneris. Egyptian singers will also share in the performance. Baritone Reda El-Wakil will sing Ramfis, soprano Iman Moustafa Sacerdotessa and tenor Walid Korayem Messagero. Maestro Maurizio Arenam, who has conducted 15 productions of Aida worldwide, will conduct Aida 2002, replacing the Italian Maestro Anton Guadagno who died last month. This is the sixth recent production of Aida in Egypt. In 1987, 1994 and 1997 the performances were held in Luxor, but since 1998 the opera has been back in its spiritual home, the Giza Pyramids.
