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Contrary to wide-spread belief, 'Aida' was not the opera with which the Khedival (Royal) Opera House in Cairo was inagurated on 1 November 1869. It was Verdi's 'Rigoletto'. The first Cairo performance of 'Aida' took place two years after, on 24 December 1871.

With the completion of the Suez Canal, the project that had brought Egypt forefront of the international scene, the ambitions of the young ruler, Ismail Pasha, were very high. He wanted to Cairo to become a 'little Paris' and he commissioned, among others, vast and lavish construction project of a large Opera House seating about 1,000 people right in the center of Cairo.

But the Khedive's plans were more ambitious. He wanted an opera especially composed for his newly founded theater. It was not to be just another opera. The lobretto (scenes and verses) was to be based on the country's history and the set and costumes were reproduced as faithfully as possible the monuments and dress of Ancient Egypt. For the later part, the Khedive could count on the experience of Auduste Mariette.

Auduste Mariette was a brilliant French Egyptologist, long since living in Egypt but with strong connections with his mother country. He was the one to be responsible for the visual part of the spectacle. He received from the Khedive the outline of plot and he was entrusted to supervise the sets and costumes. For the sets, he had to rely on historical accounts; for the costumes, he had it designed after the bas-reliefs of Upper Egypt. But besides the 'authentic' sets and costumes, Mariette was also supposed to make sure that local color was preserved in the handling of the action. For this reason, he had assigned the job of writing the synopsis and also of finding the composer to a reliable friend of his, Camille Du Locle.

Du Locle, director of the Theatre de l' Opera Comique in Paris, was the librettist of Verdi's 'Don Caelos'. Du Locle had already been trying to convince Verdi to write an opera for the theater in Paris during that time. He kept submitting the composer plot after plot with very little success. But the 'Egyptian' plot was to win the admiration of the great composer who, in answer to Du Locle, wrote :“I have read the Egyptian outline. It is very well done. It offers a splendid 'mise en scene', and there are two or three situations which, if not new, are certainly very beautiful …. There is a very expert hand in it, one accustomed to writing one who knows the theater very well.”

Yet, in the same letter, there was one question which Verdi posed. The question which, to the present day, has been in search for a definite answer :“Who did it?”

Giuseppe Verdi was born on 10 October 1813 in Roncole, near Busseto, in the province of Parma. His family was very modest. His father was an inn-keeper and his mother as spinner. The organ player of his village church was interested in him and thus he taught him the basics of music. At the age of 10, Antonio Barezzi, a rich merchant of liquors, affected by the music, took Verdi under his protection and made him have musical studies. When he reached the age of 15, Verdi became an excellent pianist and his first spectacle was performed at the theater of Busseto which was a great success. Verdi experienced by that time moments of happiness : he married in 1836, got two children and his name started resounding both as a musician and a composer.

In the year 1839, Verdi decided to leave Busseto to try his luck in Milan and to forget his deep grief caused by the death of his elder son at the age of 16 months. Shortly afterwards, the first opera of Verdi 'Oberto, Count of San Bonifacio' was performed at the 'Scala di Milano' which was real success.

In 1840, Verdi continued to live his moments of grief, starting with suffering for great failure of his Opera 'Un giorno di regno' followed by the loss of his spouse and his second son. The shock was so great that he seriously thought of giving up everything and turning back to Busseto. But Merelli, the director of 'La Scale' asked him to compose the booklet 'Nubucco'. When it was performed at 'La Scale' in 1842, it was achieved triumphantly and Verdi's name resounded once more all over the world.

The years 1851-1853 are capitals on the Verdi's works, as they witnessed the creation of 'Regoletto', 'La Traviata' and 'Il Trovatore'. After this trilogy, Verdi composed less, but continuous to follow the creation of his work all over the world always seeking the perfection.

After his two last masterpieces, 'Othello' (1887) and 'Falsraff' (1893), Verdi died in 27 January 1901 in Milan. He demanded in his testament to have a simple funeral and his will was respected. But 30 days after, according to royal decree his remains and that of his spouse were transported to the crypt 'la Case di Riposo per Musicist' (the house of rest for musicians) followed by an immense crowd. The orchestra and the choir of the 'Scala di Milano' accompanied them with 'Nabucco' until their final resting place.

24 December 1871 : Original Commission at the Kahedival (Royal) Opera House in Cairo

12 - 17 November 1994 : at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor

12 - 17 October 1997 : at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor

12 - 17 October 1998 : at the Pyramids in Giza

12 - 17 October 1999 : at the Pyramids in Giza

12 - 17 October 2000 : at the Pyramids in Giza (Cancelled)

12 - 17 October 2001 : at the Pyramids in Giza (Cancelled)

In addition to the above, 'Aida' is being performed at Cairo Opera House every year.

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