New production of Verdi’s Aida opens 100th edition of Verona Arena Opera Festival

Transparent pyramids and architectural lighting will feature in the new production of Aida for the 100th edition of the Verona Arena Opera Festival – a production that is technological but intimate and recognisable at the same time. The director is the multi-faceted artist Stefano Poda, making his debut at the Arena.

Aida has been a symbolic opera at the Arena since the foundation of the festival, and the opening of the new production on Friday 16 June will be broadcast live worldwide on Rai1 by Rai Cultura. Anna Netrebko sings the title role, with Yusif Eyvazov as Radamès, and Olesya Petrova as Amneris. Roman Burdenko sings Amonasro and Michele Pertusi is Ramfis – other casts follow (see below).

This new Aida was presented today at the Italian Embassy in Berlin to an audience of Italian and German journalists, with Cecilia Gasdia and Stefano Trespidi, the Intendent and Deputy Artistic Director of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, along with the director Stefano Poda.

The choice of Berlin is no coincidence: the Arena Festival's first international audience is German. “A refined audience, accustomed to our musical offerings that have few equals in the world in terms of variety, the richness of choice, and quality of the performers,” said Ambassador Armando Varricchio. “It is also in part thanks to opera that Germans have developed a special bond with Italy.”

Poda directs the production as well as designing the sets, costumes, and lighting and he has even devised the choreography. “The audience will find itself in front of a large installation – not of modernity chasing current events, but a leap into the future. The heritage of ancient Egypt becomes that of Verdi's genius, which is transformed into an all-Italian treasure represented in a secular cathedral,” said Poda. “The stage will be a small universe – a Dantean journey, from a world in conflict to an intimate story. Reconciling these two sides – grandiosity and intimacy – is the challenge in tackling an opera like Aida.”

There will be more than 300 people on stage including soloists, chorus, dancers and actors. The 100th Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2023, runs until 9 September with eight opera titles, four gala evenings, and an all-star concert.

www.arena.it

16 June at 21.00
17, 25, 29 June 9.15 pm
9, 16, 21, 30 July 9 pm
2, 18, 23 August 8.45 pm
3, 8 September 8.45 pm

Aida

Opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi. Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni
NEW PRODUCTION

Direction, scenes, costumes, lights, choreography Stefano Poda *

Conductor
Marco Armiliato 16, 17, 25, 29/6 – 9, 16, 21, 30/7 – 2/8
Daniel Oren 18, 23/8 – 3, 8/9

King of Egypt
Simon Lim 16, 17/6 – 16, 30/7 – 2/8
Abraham Rosalen 25, 29/6 – 9, 21/7
Vittorio De Campo 18/8 – 8/9 *
Romano Dal Zovo 23/8 – 3/9

Amneris
Olesya Petrova 16, 25/6 – 21, 30/7 – 2/8
Anita Rachvelishvili 17/6
Clémentine Margaine 29/6 – 18, 23/8
Ekaterina Semenchuk 9, 16/7 – 3, 8/9

Aida
Anna Netrebko 16/6 – 16, 30/7 – 2/8
Maria José Siri 17, 25/6 – 8/9
Monica Conesa 29/6 – 21/7
Anna Pirozzi 18, 23/8
Elena Stikhina 3/9

Radamès
Yusif Eyvazov 16, 17, 25/6 – 9, 16, 30/7 – 2/8
Luciano Ganci 29/6
Yonghoon Lee 21/7
Gregory Kunde 18, 23/8
Angelo Villari 3/9

Ramfis
Michele Pertusi 16, 17/6
Alexander Vinogradov 25, 29/6
Rafał Siwek 9, 16, 21/7 – 18, 23/8 – 3, 8/9
Christian Van Horn 30/7 – 2/8

Amonasro
Roman Burdenko 16, 25/6
Amartuvshin Enkhbat 17/6 – 30/7 – 2/8 – 3/9
Youngjun Park 29/6 – 9/7 – 18/8
Alberto Gazale 16/7
Simone Piazzola 21/7
Ludovic Tézier 23/8
Gevorg Hakobyan 8/9

Messenger
Riccardo Rados 16, 17, 25, 29/6 – 9, 16/7 – 23/8 – 3, 8/9
Carlo Bosi 21, 30/7 – 2, 18/8

Priestess
Francesca Maionchi 16, 29/6 – 21/7 – 3, 8/9
Daria Rybak 17, 25/6 – 16, 30/7 – 2/8
Yao Bohui 9/7 – 18, 23/8

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.