Aida is a grand opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its premiere there in 1871, in a performance conducted by Giovanni Bottesini. Today, the work holds a central place in the operatic canon, receiving performances every year around the world; at New York City's Metropolitan Opera alone, Aida has been sung more than 1,100 times since 1886.
This picture shows Philippe Chaperon's set design for the finale (act 4, scene 2) of Aida's premiere at the Palais Garnier in Paris, which took place on 22 March 1880. The drawing depicts the interior of the Temple of Vulcan, with the vault of the temple visible at the bottom, and is now in the collection of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.Set design credit: Philippe Chaperon; restored by Adam Cuerden