Aida - What's the plot?

#RoyalBalletAndOpera
Learn all about Aida with our rundown of Verdi’s powerful and seductive opera.
As Egypt prepares to launch an attack on Ethiopia, the ambitious soldier Radames readies to serve his country. But his secret love for Aida, an Ethiopian prisoner concealing a dangerous secret, has grave consequences. As the conflict deepens, the lovers’ truths threaten to emerge, forcing a terrible choice between loyalty to home - and to each other.
At its heart, Verdi’s opera Aida is a tragic love triangle set in a time of war. Aida, the princess of Ethiopia, has hidden her royal identity and her love for Radames. Unfortunately for the lovers, Amneris, the Princess of Egypt, whom Aida now serves, is also in love with him.
Giuseppe Verdi was commissioned to write Aida by Egypt’s ruler, the Khedive Ismael. Alongside the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the opera, and the construction of the Cairo Opera House where it premiered in 1871, were all part of the Khedive’s drive to modernise the country and attract investment overseas. The scenario was provided by Auguste Mariette, an archaeologist from France who was involved in many important archaeological discoveries of the era.
Under Verdi’s intense supervision, Antonio Ghislanzoni (librettist of Verdi’s earlier opera, La forza del destino), crafted the libretto. The opera fulfilled its purpose and remains a monument to the Khedive’s great ambitions. The first European performance took place the following year, at La Scala, Milan, on February 8, 1872 - the first performance Verdi attended in person. Aida has been performed over 500 times at the Royal Opera House, and remains a firm favourite among audiences, with its love story and powerful score.
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