10 - 16 May 2001
Issue No.533
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 10 - 16 May 2001 Issue No.533 |
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Forbidden love
A lavish production and a hell of a backdrop -- what better way to celebrate Verdi's Aida 100 years after the composer's death? Some say not at all. Rehab Saad resurrects the debate of culture versus cost
Giuseppe Verdi's popular opera Aida, commissioned by the Egyptian Khedive Ismail to celebrate the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal, was also intended to crown the opening of Cairo's first opera house. Contrary to popular belief, however, Verdi did not finish the opera in time and the Opera House actually opened with Verdi's Rigoletto. Aida was first performed at the Cairo Opera House on 24 December 1871.
Verdi
Though the old opera house no longer stands, the new Opera House still considers itself keeper of the legend and the tragedy of the libretto seems to extend into the Ministry of Culture's love-hate relationship with the opera Aida. Egypt has put on a total of five elaborate productions of the opera, each set against the stunning backdrop of the country's Pharaonic monuments. Though impressive in their production, not one has managed to turn a profit.
Set in the Pharaonic capital of Memphis, the story revolves around the forbidden romance between Egyptian army chief Radamis and the Ethiopian slave Aida. The opera lends itself to lavish effects, particularly the tragic ending, when the two lovers are buried alive in one of the temple vaults. This year the pyramids will again host an extravagant production of the opera, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Italian composer's death on 12 October. But amid the bustle of preparations and an aggressive advertising campaign runs a tremor of doubt: what's the point?
Opera House officials are the first to acquiesce that Aida -- though it may attract many spectators -- does not come close to covering its expenses, estimated in previous years to run between LE14 million and LE17 million. Three previous mega-productions have been staged in Luxor -- once near the Luxor temple in 1987 and twice in front of Hatshepsut's temple in Deir El-Bahari, in 1994 and 1997. In 1998 and 1999, the production moved to the pyramids. The show was cancelled in 2000.
"This year the whole world is competing to present productions of Verdi's works," noted Hassan Kami, an opera singer and consultant to the head of the Opera House. "What could be more suitable than presenting Aida in its natural setting?" Kami, who was the executive producer of the 1998 production, explained that Aida revenues are calculated as follows: 30 per cent come from the ticket office, another 30 per cent from private sector sponsorships and the rest from the sale of transmission copyrights. "In previous productions we got nothing from the sale of copyrights transmission," Kami said.
Preparations are already under way for this year's production. An intensive marketing blitz was launched January, a full 10 months prior to the event. An Internet site (http://www.aidapyramids.com) has been set up through Emeco Travel, the company responsible for marketing the event abroad, where people can book ahead. Moreover, the opera house has set up two central reservation offices in France and Germany, which man hotlines connected to 18,000 travel agents abroad. "We have an agreement with them [the travel agents] that if they bring us 8,000 spectators they will receive a super commission from us," Kami said, adding that flyers and brochures, printed in English and German, are being distributed all over the world. "We have never been this early," Kami beamed. "Can you believe that with previous productions, we used to receive the budget for Aida in July -- with the show scheduled for October?"
During ITB, Berlin's international travel fair held in March, Opera House officials secured contracts with e-commerce companies to market Aida. "They assured us that they can bring in half a million clients," Kami said. Marketing campaigns have also been extended to lure residents of other Arab countries. Though he is confident that the Opera House has made all efforts possible, Kami still maintains that Aida will never be a money-maker until the show becomes a regular annual event.
Citing the sporadic nature of the productions -- there were seven years between the first performance and the second -- Kami claims that in order to start gaining revenue, the show needs to be put on for three consecutive years at least. People need to know it will happen every year. "The Verona opera house has not stopped productions once since 1915," Kami notes. "They started with six productions and now they have 45. If you want to attend any of the productions in Verona, you book two years in advance. You can't open a supermarket today and ask for revenue tomorrow."
Karim El-Manabawy of Emeco Travel stressed that Aida could be profitable if international sponsors such as Coca Cola, Sony or Microsoft could be brought in on the deal. "They have the money to spend and their involvement would attract people. The problem is getting them interested," El-Manabawy said. Though turning a profit is always desirable, Kami is quick to note that Aida is not just about money. "The opera house was established to convey a cultural message," Kami explains. Egypt spends millions of pounds to promote itself on the CNN for only a few seconds, while a slew of foreign journalists and international television crew cover Aida. A successful production is invaluable in terms of positive press for the country abroad. "This is free promotion for Egypt," Kami said.
Nothing is for free, of course, and what may seem like an airtight argument to Kami falters in the eyes of conservationists, many of whom claim that performances like these are taking their toll on Egypt's monuments -- an old debate that pits a profitable tourism industry against archaeologists and antiquities specialists and a constant source of controversy. To prepare the Giza plateau for each mega-production, a special parking area must be constructed, rest rooms need to be wheeled in, electricity has to be set up and special lighting needs to be arranged.
Antiquities officials are confident that their efforts to safeguard monuments are both careful and efficient. "We can utilise the area surrounding any ancient site, whether it is a pyramid or a temple, for the production of any cultural activity, on condition that it does not affect the site negatively," explains archaeologist Abdel-Halim Noureddin, a former secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
But not everyone shares Noureddin's views. "The use of the pyramids as a backdrop for the opera is spoiling the plateau," groaned Ehab Farag, a tourist guide. "The stage and the auditorium of the previous Aida productions are left at the site, along with their enormous electricity kiosk. Tourists come here and they want to take photos and what they get are these constructions destroying the view. You cannot escape them." Farag complained that officials have adopted strict measures to safeguard the monuments, not allowing Egyptians to enter the plateau during national holidays and prohibiting buses and cars from entering the area. "Then they turn around and construct this stage and all the other things that must go with it."
And after all the cost and the possible long-term effects on the monuments, opera as an art form remains alien to most Egyptians. The classical diva and music icon Umm Kalthoum described opera as "screams and hollers". Few Egyptians feel the need to tune their ears to appreciate opera, arguing that Egypt has a rich musical history of its own. Kami, horrified, counters that it is important to present different types of music. "I blame the media for not encouraging the Egyptian people to attend performances. If the media plays the role it should play, Egyptians will celebrate this refined art form," Kami said, adding proudly that Egypt is the only country in the Arab world and Africa that presents opera on such a large scale.
Be that as it may, the average Egyptian remains unimpressed. "I don't like the singing; it seems to be more like screaming," commented Heba, a housewife from Heliopolis, "The only reason to go to Aida is to see this production everyone is making such a fuss about. Not the music."
The opera house is pulling together an all-star cast for this year's performance. Renowned open-air opera director Pierluigi Pizzi will run the show, while Italian singers Norma Fantini and Paoletta Morucco have been recruited for the role of Aida. Nicola Martinucci and Ignacio Encinas will sing the role of Radamis. Conductor Antoine Guadagno will head the orchestra. "The show this year will be incomparable to any previous show," Kami enthused, promising high-tech lighting, and nifty effects.
Prices for the gala opening will range from $100 to $250, for foreigners, with Egyptians and residents paying the same amount, but in Egyptian pounds. Performances after opening night will vary between $75 and $200 (LE75-LE200 for residents).
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