Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in Egypt, it was commissioned by and first performed at Cairo's Khedivial Opera House on December 24, 1871. Today the work holds a central place in the operatic canon, receiving performances every year around the world and at New York's Metropolitan Opera alone, Aida has been sung more than 1,100 times since 1886.

Isma'il Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, commissioned Verdi to write an opera for performance to celebrate the opening of the Khedivial Opera House, paying him 150,000 francs, but the premiere was delayed because of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. Aida eventually premiered in Cairo in late 1871. Contrary to popular belief, the opera was not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal.

Aida - Birgit Nilsson

Radames - Franco Corelli

Amneris – Grace Bumbry

Amonasro – Mario Sereni

Ramfis – Bonaldo Giaiotti

The King – Ferruccio Mazzoil

Orchestra del Teatro dell`Opera di Roma
Zubin Mehta, conductor
recorded in 1966