Giuseppe Verdi Aida, Tomb Scene, Act IV, scene ii Aida Aida was commissioned for the new opera house in Cairo, honoring the completion of the Suez Canal (1869). The opera was premiered in 1871. Verdi chose an Egyptian theme for his opera, incorporating some of the most grandiose scene displays in the history of the theater. However, the human scale of the drama, and Verdi’s sensitive musical setting, keeps Aida from turning into a trash-fest. Trivia Aida is one of the few operas that can justify the inclusion of on-stage, live elephants. During a dress rehearsal of Aida, a trained horse forgot its training, at which point conductor Thomas Beecham glared at the offender and quipped: “Disgusting spectacle, but Gad, what a critic!” The Basic Plot Radames, an Egyptian general, and Aida, a captive Ethiopian slave girl, are secretly in love. Due to various machinations of the plot, Radames is condemned to die by being entombed alive. Little does he know that Aida has sequestered herself in the tomb, to die with him. The Tomb Scene Recitative Radames sings of Aida and hopes she has been spared his fate. However, she appears—having sequestered herself in the tomb. Ariosos A pair of ariosos in which the two lovers sing of their forthcoming demise. Duet with Chorus The priests chant offstage while Radames and Aida sing their “farewell to Earth” Conclusion The priestess Amneris invokes the god Ptah Performance La Scala (Milan), 1985 Aida: Maria Chiara Radames: Luciano Pavarotti Conductor: Lorin Maazel .