“AIDA” Gran Teatre del Liceu, 2003

エチオピアの王女アイーダは、今はエジプトの奴隷の身。彼女はエジプトの将校ラダメスと愛し合っています。そんな中、エジプト軍はエチオピアとの戦いで勝利を収めます。軍が凱旋帰国した際、その捕虜の中にはアイーダの父（エチオピア王）がいました。父はアイーダを利用して、ラダメスからエジプト軍の秘密を聞き出させます。彼との将来のためにその命に従ったアイーダと、愛と祖国への忠誠の中で引き裂かれるラダメス。2人の運命は!?

Aida, an Ethiopian princess, is captured and brought into slavery in Egypt. She and Radames, a military commander of Egypt, love each other. Then the Egyptian army fights with Ethiopia and wins. As the Egyptian army makes a triumphant return, Aida’s father (the King of Egypt) is among the captives. He uses Aida to find the secrets of the Egyptian army from Radames. Aida follows her father’s order, convinced that it should be good for their future. Radames, on the other hand, is torn between his love to her and his loyalty to his country. How the fate will befall the lovers?

〈凱旋の場〉などスペクタクル・シーンでも名高いこのオペラ。ここでの演出では、その豪華さもさることながら、何枚もの風景画を幾重にも重ねて、宮殿から外に広がる奥行きを見事に表現する特殊セットにもご注目下さい（その仕組みは、前奏曲が奏でられている冒頭に観ることが出来ます）。古代エジプトをイメージした衣装やライティングの美しさなども際立っており、随所に盛り込まれたバレエもみどころのひとつとなっています。

This opera is renowned for its spectacular scenes such as “the triumphal scene.” On top of all the gorgeous spectacles, pay attention to the special setting of this production that provides the castle with an appearance of depth toward the outside of it by using many layers of landscape paintings. You can see the mechanism of it during the overture at the beginning. The costume design, which uses various elements from the ancient Egypt, is fabulous, and the lighting design is also remarkable. The inserted ballet scenes are excellent, too.