"Aida" at Birgitta festival

Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida", directed and designed by Madis Nurms is performed tomorrow August 12th at Pirita convent, Tallinn during the 11th Birgitta Festival.

Giuseppe Verdi took a principled stand on human rights. He never visited Egypt and in his correspondence he has stated that he could never admire the Ancient Egyptian civilization that had based its achievements on slavery and authoritarian power. In the libretto of “Aida” too, what fascinated him beyond the glitter of Egypt, was the impotence of man before the theocratic state. And thus PromFest’s “Aida” has no painted pyramids and bronzed slave boys, it is instead an attempt to explore the limits of the grand political spectacle, which casts nations into the whirlwind of war and changes the fates of hundreds at a whim.

Our “Aida” will have a happy ending – giving hope that a way out has to exist even from the most hopeless situation. And the opera is ended, fittingly, by the character who changes most during the events – the Egyptian princess Amneris, saying to the audience, the cast but most of all to herself: “Peace!”. An appeal which gains a profound significance in the uncertain world that surrounds us today.

Musical director, conductor Erki Pehk
Scenographer, stage director Madis Nurms
Choreographer Teet Kask
Lighting designer Margus Vaigur
Movement director Jelena Karpova

Soloists

Aida – Jomante Šležaite (Lithuania)
Amneris – Anželina Švatška (Ukraine)
Radames – Eduard Martõnjuk (Belarus)
Amonasro – Samsons Izjumovs (Latvia)
Ramfis – Romans Polisadovs (Latvia)
King of Egypt – Märt Jakobson (Estonia)
Messenger – Reigo Tamm (Estonia)

Theater Vanemuine choir and symphony orchestra, Tartu Youth choir

Language: Italian
Subtitles: English and Estonian

Running time: 3h 5 min
The show has two intermissions

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Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida", directed and designed by Madis Nurms is performed tomorrow August 12th at Pirita convent, Tallinn during the 11th Birgitta Festival.

Soloists

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