‘AIDA’ II

Giuseppe Verdi’s large-scale opera “Aida” made its reappearance amid Egyptian historical monuments Monday night, with a starry performance set against the famous pyramids at Giza near Cairo. Egyptian actor-bridge expert Omar Sharif appeared on stage to dedicate the performance “to peace for all the world and particularly for our troubled Middle East.” An imported Italian opera company supported the performance’s soloists--Ghena Dimitrova (with whom Katia Ricciarelli alternates in the title role), Grace Bumbry and Giuseppe Giacomini, all of whom used throat microphones to help overcome the outdoor setting’s dodgy acoustics. The $4-million production of “Aida,” financed by a consortium of Egyptian travel agencies, marked the second mammoth production of the Verdi work in Egypt this summer. The first, starring tenor Placido Domingo, took place in May at the Luxor temple in southern Egypt. Domingo praised the setting but said the open air acoustics did not do justice to the music.