Musical director Gustavo Gimeno conducts a prominent group of voices that, together with the Symphony Orchestra and the Choir of Liceu, face to one of the musical milestones of Giuseppe Verdi with the stage direction of Thomas Guthrie, in an authentic tribute to the past of the Gran Teatre Liceu and the trajectory of scenographer.

The historic decorations of Mestres Cabanes return to the stage of Gran Teatre del Liceu 75 years after its premiere in 1945 with this spectacular Aida directed by maestro Gustavo Gimeno during 14 functions, from January 13 to February 2. One of Verdi’s most popular titles and one of those preferred by the public that will involve not only the debut of the Valencian music director, but also that of four of the most prominent voices on the international scene, that of the two American sopranos Angela Meade and Jennifer Rowley in the role of Aida and Yonghoon Lee and Luciano Ganci as Radames. The mezzo-sopranos Clémentine Margaine and Judit Kutasi in the role of Amneris and the baritones Franco Vassallo and Àngel Òdena in that of Amonasro complete a cast that has many more exceptional voices.  

This masterpiece of the Catalan school of scenography is for many specialists the highlight of the artistic career of Mestres Cabanes and undoubtedly one of the main attractions of the proposal, adapted in its recovery by Jordi Castells and based on curtains painted with a domain impressive perspective and operatic dramaturgy. Is Aida, directed by Thomas Guthrie, is a true tribute to the past of Gran Teatre Liceu and to the trajectory of the Manresan scenographer as a reference in the lyric of the country.

Aida, Gran Teatre del Liceu © A. Bofill

The current head conductor of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Gustavo Gimeno, conducts for the first time at Liceu and does so with one of the latest Verdi musical landmarks, which at 58 years commissioned this opera from Egypt to celebrate the inauguration of the Suez Canal. A score with a perfect musical structure and spectacular instrumentation that stands out for bright moments such as the arias of the tenor and the soprano “Celeste Aida” and “Ritorna vincitor”, the “Triumphal March” of the second act, the aria of Aida del third act “O patria mia” or as the duo with external interventions that foreshadows the fatal destiny of the protagonist couple with “Oh terra, addio”.

The spectacular production of Aida can also be seen live in cinemas on January 22. A total of 150 rooms throughout Spain will issue one of the most popular titles in the repertoire thanks to the collaboration of Digital Version, the leading operator in the national market and in Andorra in the distribution of alternative content for cinemas, theaters and auditoriums. In addition, 56 rooms around the world join the broadcast, which will be screened between January 22 and the summer of 2020 in countries such as China (20 rooms), Italy (9 rooms), Russia (7 rooms), Canada ( 7 rooms), United Kingdom (5 rooms), Germany (3 rooms), Portugal (2 rooms), Andorra (1 room), Austria (1 room) and the United States (1 room).

Aida, Gran Teatre del Liceu © A. Bofill

Mezzo and Les Films Jack Fébus co-produce with Liceu This live broadcast, which provides for a device with 10 cameras, two in stalls, one in the pit, three in the amphitheater and 4 more in the boxes. In addition, the public can enjoy broadcasting again when RTVE broadcasts it on La2 nationally and Mezzo internationally.

Liceu It is one of the pioneering theaters worldwide in the broadcast of opera live in cinemas. Since the first broadcast of La traviata in 2001, hundreds of theaters around the world have been able to enjoy the best productions of the moment: Lucia di Lammermoor (December 2015), I Capuleti ei Montecchi (June 2016), Macbeth (October 2016), Rigoletto (April 2017), Un ballo in maschera (October 2017), Roméo et Juliette (February 2018), L’italiana in Algeri (December 2018), La Gioconda (April 2019) and Doña Francisquita (November 2019).

This fundamental opera of the Verdian catalog tells the drama of Aída, an Ethiopian princess who, because of the designs of destiny, becomes a slave of Amneris, the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh. Both form a perfect love triangle with Radames, hero of the Egyptian armies in love with Aida and at the same time loved by Amneris, but without being reciprocated.

Aida, Gran Teatre del Liceu © A. Bofill

Aida is an opera in four acts with music by Giuseppe Verdi and libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. It premiered for the first time on December 24, 1871 at the Cairo Opera House. It arrived in Barcelona thanks to the initiative of the Teatre Principal, with a first performance on April 16, 1876. At Liceu it was released almost a year later, on February 25, 1877, and since then it has been the most represented opera in the Teatre de La Rambla, where it has been performed 454 times. The last representation in Liceu It was made on July 30, 2012.