Aida at the Wawel Castle

‘Aida’ is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi composed to a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. It was conceived as a special commission by the khediv of Egypt, Isma'il Pasha, for the opening of the Cairo Opera House. The enthusiastic reception of the opera by audiences of the time and its subsequent premieres on world opera stages meant that the story of the Ethiopian princess found its permanent place in the canon of opera literature. The work became one of the pillars of the operatic repertoire, combining the power of Verdi's music with the universal message of love, loyalty and destiny.

The opera is set in ancient Egypt, during the wars between Egypt and Ethiopia. The main character of the opera is the titular Aida, an Ethiopian princess who gets kidnapped and is made into a slave in the Pharaoh's court. Aida hides her royal origins by living in the shadows as a servant. Despite her dramatic situation, she falls in love with the young Egyptian military commander Radames. Their love, though beautiful and mutual, is marked by the stigma of unfulfillment. Radames, appointed as a leader of the army, becomes a symbol of hostile power for Aida and her father Amonasro, the Ethiopian king. The lovers' situation is further complicated by the jealousy of Amneris, Pharaoh's daughter, who has an affection for Radames and uses her position to manipulate others and influence the course of events. The dilemmas of the characters - being torn between love, loyalty to the homeland and duty to the family which lead to an inevitable tragic finale.

The monumentalism of the work, the combination of primal power with timeless elegance and simplicity allows the opera's universal message to resonate with contemporary dilemmas. It is an opera about choices that shape human life, the price of freedom and the power of love that is able to surpass the boundaries of time and space.