Call Me Isma’il

Although the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo, Egypt, opened with Verdi’s Rigoletto, the Khedive of Egypt Isma’il Pasha commissioned the composer shortly thereafter to create a grand new work to premiere at the new opera house—the first such venue on the African continent. The premiere of Aida in January 1871 did not take place as planned, as the onset of the Franco-Prussian War prevented the shipment of scenery and costumes from Paris, delaying the premiere nearly an entire year. And much to Verdi’s dismay, the world premiere on Christmas Eve 1871 was almost exclusively attended by politicians and dignitaries.

Indeed, the founding of the Cairo opera house was itself a political endeavor. The project was undertaken by Khedive Isma’il Pasha, also known as Isma’il the Magnificent, the viceroy of Egypt and ruler of Sudan. Isma’il was educated in Paris and endeavored to transform Egypt, especially the capital city of Cairo, into a thoroughly modern, cosmopolitan, and westernized center of industry and culture. He largely oversaw the construction and opening of the Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean and Red seas. He also built entirely new neighborhoods in Cairo inspired by Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s renovation of Paris. Among these was Azbakeya, where the opera house was located directly across from a park designed by French landscaper Barillet Deschamps.

The Khedivial Opera House itself was designed by Italian architect Pietro Avoscani to mimic the renowned Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, where Aida would eventually have its European premiere. Built almost exclusively of wood and decorated with gold, the theater had dance studios and rehearsal spaces on the first floor, stored scenery and instruments on the second, and housed costumes and other items on the third. The auditorium seated approximately 850 people.

The venue’s first season included 66 performances, drawing crowds from Cairo and nearby Alexandria. Translated libretti in Arabic were made available for operas such as Jacques Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène, Gioachino Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Gaetano Donizetti’s La Favorita. Even students and journalists were able to acquire complimentary tickets.

Unfortunately, the theater’s wood construction left it perennially vulnerable to fires. In October 1971, the entire building burned to the ground. A suitable replacement was not begun until 1985 and completed in 1988. The establishment of the new Cairo Opera House was made possible in part by a grant from the government of Japan as agreed upon during a visit by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to that country in 1983. The site of the original Khedivial Opera House is now a multi-story parking garage.