Verdi: Aida (The Royal Opera)

*Elena Stikhina* (Aida); *Francesco Meli* (Radames); *Agnieszka Rehlis* (Amneris); *Ludovic Tézier* (Amonasro); *Soloman Howard* (Ramfis); *Insung Sim* (King of Egypt); *Francesca Chiejina* (High Priestess); *Andrés Presno* (Messenger); The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Royal Opera Chorus; *Antonio Pappano*

Stage Director: *Peter Jones*

Love and duty collide and nations clash in Verdi's political drama, starring Elena Stikhina. In this new production, director Robert Carsen situates Verdi's large-scale drama within a contemporary world, framing its power struggles and toxic jealousies in the apparatus of a modern, totalitarian state. Antonio Pappano conducts Verdi's glorious, monumental score.

*"Francesco Meli’s golden-toned Radames warrants saluting even if we can sometimes hear the gear changes, and Elena Stikhina’s Aida packs considerable power behind her sweet-sounding soprano. Agnieszka Rehlis’s velvety mezzo-soprano doesn’t initially cut through the orchestra but catches fire in Amneris’s later scenes; here it’s the string sound Antonio Pappano draws from his orchestra that makes us trust in the sincerity of a character who has previously seemed villainous ... it’s rock solid in the pit, Pappano and his players filling in all the colour that’s lacking on stage in this dour but truthful Aida."* (The Guardian ★★★★)

*"This production is at best an intriguing modern interpretation ... A five-star performance of a five-star opera ..."* (The Daily Express ★★★★)

*"On all levels a stimulating, outstandingly professional and well-realised evening."* (The Daily Telegraph ★★★★)