Aida

Accessible opera booklet

Giuseppe Verdi

Aida
by Giuseppe Verdi

Opera in four acts.

Libretto by
Antonio Ghislanzoni

This is the accessible program booklet for Aida by Giuseppe Verdi.
It provides audio versions of the texts, audio descriptions, and videos in ISL, International Sign Language. The texts can be easily zoomed in and out, and the contrast of the display can be increased.
The “Audio text” button plays the audio of the texts read by a male voice while the “Audio description button plays the audio descriptions of the pictures read by a female voice. The “ISL” button plays videos in International Sign Language.
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Synopsis

Act I

The winds of war are blowing in Memphis. Ramfis informs Radamès that the Ethiopians are readying to invade Egypt. The young warrior hopes to receive the high command of the army and appear valorous in the eyes of the woman he secretly loves – Aida. She is the Ethiopian slave of Amneris, the daughter of the Pharaoh. The Egyptian princess is also in love with Radamès and suspects that her slave is also her rival. A messenger confirms the invasion of the Ethiopians under the command of King Amonasro, Aida’s father. The Pharaoh announces that the oracle has chosen Ramadès as their supreme commander. Aida, now alone, is torn between irreconcilable emotions: she desires Radamès to be victorious and, at the same, hopes that Amonasro destroys the Egyptian forces.

The stage is formed by a large, inclined platform that reflects the light. At the center stands a large mechanical hand over twenty meters in height made of metal. The hand is surrounded by blue laser lights that rise upwards diagonally. Above the stage and perpendicular to the hand hangs a silver sphere that gives off other beams of blue laser light. The lights descend towards the stage diagonally, outlining a large pyramid above it. In front of the hand stand Ramfis and Radamès. They are flanked to the right and left by priests and priestesses wearing white robes. They are holding spears topped with white papier-mâché hands that are open. The palms face the crowd with the left eye of the falcon-headed god Horus depicted on them. In front of the stage, both to the left and right, are located two smaller platforms that are not inclined. Supernumeraries stand upon them, wearing long robes that are white at the bottom and black on the top. Their heads and faces are covered by masks that represent Egyptian deities, including the god Anubis with the head of a jackal. Behind the stage are the concentric tiers of seats that form the arena, whose border is illuminated with white LEDs. On those to the right lies a Corinthian column in ruins, while on those to the left lies the wreckage of futuristic machines.

Act I

Act II

Under the guise of friendship, Amneris puts Aida’s feelings to the test by telling her that Ramadès has been slain in battle. Aida’s desperation confirms Amneris’ suspicions. The princess unveils her deception: Radamès is alive and she too is in love with him. A short while later, a triumphal procession enters Thebes, celebrating the victorious Radamès. The king pledges to grant his every desire. The Ethiopian prisoners are also in the procession, including Amonasro, who pretends to be merely an officer and pleads for mercy for the captives. Ramfis calls for their deaths while Radamès asks for the prisoners to be freed. The king finds a compromise: Aida and Amonasro will remain in Egypt as hostages to guarantee peace, and all of the others will be set free. The marriage between the victor and Amneris is then announced.

The stage is again dominated by the large hand, illuminated by beams of white light and surrounded by dense clouds of smoke. At the back of the stage, the spears with white hands can be seen to the right while the spears with the black hands are to the left. They are all made of papier-mâché. In front of the large hand, male and female dancers occupy the entire stage. They are standing and facing the right with both their right leg and their arms extending forwards. They are wearing tight beige colored suits decorated with designs of black hieroglyphs. On top of their suits, they are wearing sparkling silver netting accented with crystals with silver caps on their heads.

Act II

Act III

Amneris is praying inside the temple of Isis on the eve of her wedding. Aida also arrives outside to meet with Radamès. Amonasro appears and is plotting to ambush the Egyptian army. He has become aware of the love between Aida and Radamès, and takes advantage of his daughter’s feelings to pursue his vendetta. He promises her that she will return home but on one condition: she must make her beloved reveal the route the Egyptian forces will take. Reluctantly, Aida manages to convince Radamès, and he tells her the route, but Amonasro comes out of hiding and reveals his true identity, ruining everything. The situation escalates as Amneris comes out of the temple and cries treason. Amonasro lunges at her to kill her, but Radamès stops him. Radamès hands the sword over to Ramfis and allows himself to be arrested, while Aida flees with her father.

The stage is again dominated by the large hand, illuminated by beams of white light and surrounded by dense clouds of smoke. The male and female dancers are standing next to each other and occupy the center of the stage. On top of their suits they are now wearing long white robes made of tulle. In their hands, they are holding long white illuminated staffs, similar to laser swords. They are held pointing upwards.

Act III

Act IV

With her pride wounded, Amneris is torn between her desire to save Radamès or to destroy him. She has him brought to her. She begs him to deny the accusations and she will ask for the king’s pardon. Radamès refuses, and, having lost Aida, he prefers to die. He resists Amneris’s entreaties even when she reveals to him that Aida is still alive and she promises him freedom if he renounces his love for her slave. Radamès is then led back to his prison cell, and his sentence is handed down shortly thereafter: Radamès is to be buried alive. The priests close Radamès in a vault, but Aida is there waiting for him. She slipped in unseen to die with the man she loves. Meanwhile, Amneris, defeated, prays for peace.

Radamès and Aida are on their knees side by side within an iron structure in the form of a pyramid that recalls the one outside the Louvre. Both are dressed in white and hold their hands up in front of them. Aida is wearing light red and purple makeup on her forehead covered with multicolored glitter, while Radamès, has a small black line at the center of his.

Act IV

Characters

The King [bass]
Amneris, daughter of the King [mezzo-soprano]
Aida, Ethiopian slave [soprano]
Radamès, Captain of the Guard [tenor]
Ramfis, High Priest [bass]
Amonasro, King of Ethiopia and father of Aida [baritone]
A messenger [tenor]
High Priestess [soprano]

Priests, Priestesses, Ministers, Captains, Soldiers, Officials, Ethiopian Slaves and Prisoners, Egyptians

Director’s Notes

Franco Zeffirelli's Aida premiered at the 80th Arena Opera Festival in 2002. Ancient Egypt is presented as a mythical, almost fairy-tale world that departs from the stereotypical aesthetic associated with historical epics. Gold embodies light and power in the halls of Memphis, but the majestic façades of the central pyramid, through rapid and silent scene changes, can become shadowy moonlit dunes, mysterious walls of inaccessible palaces, and temples from which clouds of incense rise. In this play of light and shadow, countless shades of colour emerge from the jewel-like stones carved with sphinxes and from the fine silks and linens of Anna Anni's costumes. With agile scene changes and skilful use of light, Zeffirelli guides the audience's gaze from large-scale crowd scenes to the most intimate moments of monologues, prayers, love confessions, and secrets of war.

Credits

The texts and pictures contained in this accessible program booklet have been provided by Fondazione Arena di Verona.

Concept, planning, and adaptation of the texts and the descriptions
Elena Di Giovanni, Francesca Raffi
(University of di Macerata)

Technical Coordination
aXess - Associazione per l'accessibilità alla cultura

Technical design, planning and digital development
Tadao Agency

Videos in ISL
Monika Nawrot; Carolina Ambrosio

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Audio description