Aida is a slave at the Egyptian court. She is the king’s daughter from the enemy country of Ethiopia but has fallen in love with the Egyptian military leader Radamès. Her father Amonasro uses her to learn about the military strategy of his adversaries. Meanwhile, Amneris, the Egyptian king’s daughter, uses everything in her power to fight for her love for Radamès and tries to kill her rival. Everyone is at the mercy of a ruthless cartel of priests and warriors.

At the height of European imperialism and the beginning of African colonisation, »Aida« premiered in Cairo in December 1871. Noticeably, Verdi’s score reveals that his aim was not to set history to music. Rather, he criticizes an inhuman society. In his production of »Aida,« director Calixto Bieito focuses on the Kammerspiel-like passages of the opera as well as the conflict between the political events surrounding the piece at the time it was produced and the present day.