Kings Felipe and Letizia will inaugurate the 2022 2023 lyric season with a new staging of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida at Teatro Real. The announcement came at a Monday press conference led by the theater’s managing director Ignacio García Belenguer, who outlined an ambitious reopening plan for the season.
Aida will run a total of 20 performances through November 14, 2022. The production features set design by Hugo de Ana with Nicola Luisotti serving as musical director. Daniel Oren and Diego García Rodríguez will also contribute, directing thirteen performances between them.
For this revival, Aida, produced by Hugo de Ana, introduces minor revisions to the 2018 version, updating certain elements such as projections to transcend traditional East West stereotypes and to give the staging a more contemporary resonance.
The set design this time emphasizes a strong symbolic message. A colossal pyramid anchors the stage, symbolizing political and religious power, while sweeping desert backdrops underscore the isolation of the protagonists who grapple with love, doubt and conflict.
As Teatro Real has evolved, so has the production. The director notes that what was created nearly a quarter century ago has matured and now operates on a different level. The concept of Aida rests on a familiar yet refined visual framework, with the emphasis today on the interactions among all characters.
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Three different artists will rotate in the title roles during the run. Soprano Krassimira Stoyanova and Roberta Mantegna will share duties with Anna Netrebko stepping in as Aida. Netrebko will perform more performances than originally scheduled while María Agresta has withdrawn for personal reasons.
Netrebko is slated to sing on October 30 and November 2 as well as October 25, November 5 and 8. Stoyanova will appear on October 24, 28 and 31 and on November 3, 6, 9 and 12. Mantegna will perform October 26 and November 4, 10 and 13.
The theater has scheduled performances on October 29 and November 11 and 14 to close the season, with Agresta expected to take part on those dates as well if possible.
The cast also includes mezzo-sopranos Jamie Barton, Sonia Ganassi and Ketevan Kemoklidze as Amneris; tenors Piotr Beczala, Yusif Eyvazov and Jorge de León as Radamés; and baritones Carlos Álvarez, Artur Rucinski and Gevorg Hakobyan as Amonasro. Bassists Alexander Vinogradov, Jongmin Park and Simon Orfila as Ramfis; sopranos Jaquelina Livieri and Marta Bauzá as the Great Sister; and tenor Fabián Lara as The Messenger complete the lineup.
a total of 300 artists
Conductor Nicola Luisotti explained that the production will involve around 300 performers, including soloists, choirs, dancers, actors and orchestras, to convey Verdi’s work with a broad and universal reach.
Aida remains a timeless tale of love, loyalty and conflict, a story that continues to resonate with audiences around the world, according to the production team. The staging presented here integrates a long collaborative history with the Abu Dhabi Foundation for Music and Arts, reflecting an ongoing partnership that supports large scale opera ventures. The 1998 version was first staged under director Luis Antonio García Navarro and marked a significant moment in the theater s programming as it prepared for a period of adaptation and renewal.