Jealousy, revenge, hopeless romance and a breath-taking wall of fire bring epic Verdi operas Aida and Nabucco to life in award-winning opera producer Ellen Kent’s new tour, which calls in at Liverpool Empire next February.
Pyrotechnic displays and lighting effects help bring Ellen’s love of large scale productions to the local stage, complete with stunning scenery depicting the splendour and mystery of ancient Egypt and the beautiful hanging gardens of Babylon.
Ellen Kent said, “I feel I can indulge myself in these operas. I try my best to give the audience the feeling of something epic.”
The celebrated Chisinau National Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra, with international guest soloists, visit the Empire in Liverpool on February 7th (Nabucco) and February 8th (Aida) 2014.
Ellen’s production of Aida includes temple dancers, ballet sequences, and beautiful pillared sets with intricate tomb paintings, Bedouin dancers, a bathing scene and the ceremonial march with a pyrotechnic display where a wall of fire extends across the stage in a massive burst of flames.
Amazing poi fire spinners come out of the firewall with a dazzling display of fire wheels and live flames to mark the jubilant celebrations of the classic triumphal march. About 40 local dancers, children and adults, join the 80-strong cast as slaves and soldiers on stage.
The tale focusses on Ethiopian princess Aida, who is captured and brought into slavery in Egypt. Military commander Radames falls in love with Aida and struggles between his feeling for her and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s daughter Amneris also loves Radames and they are due to be wed, although Radames still yearns for Aida, who persuades him to flee into the desert with her. However Radames is found out and surrenders, condemned to be entombed alive. As he is sealed into the vault, he discovers Aida has hidden herself there so they can be together in death.
Ellen continues, “Basically, it’s the big one. The biggest, most spectacular opera. In my opinion, it’s the best score Verdi ever wrote. It’s exotic and interesting and the music is simply spectacular. Even now, it’s my ambition to stage Aida on the banks of the Nile with a cast of thousands.”
Nabucco has a similar place near Ellen’s heart as it is the first opera she ever staged in 1993 in an open-air production to an audience of 7,000 at Rochester Castle with a 200-strong cast flown over from Romania in Ceausescu’s former plane borrowed from the country’s president.
She said, “It was a massive occasion. Nabucco is a political opera about people fighting for their freedom. It was written as a gesture, a cry for freedom, to show that people should be free and able to do their own thing in life.”
The tour features celebrated international soloists sopranos Elena Dee and Ecaterina Danu, and tenors Sorin Lupu and Nicolae Busuioc.
For more information, go to www.ellenkent.com or follow on Twitter @OperaBalletIntl. Both performances start at 7.30pm. Ticket prices range from £12.90 to £38.90. Tickets are on sale from the Box office on 0844 871 3017 or go on line at www.liverpoolempire.org.uk.