MUSIC

Question: What weighs eight tons, is five stories high and is connected to an opera? Answer: A replica of the Great Sphinx of Egypt that is the centerpiece of the International Opera Festival’s production of Verdi’s “Aida.” Today, the huge statue will be set afloat on a barge in New York Harbor as details are announced for a 16-city tour for the opera. Included are two dates at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, May 4-5. Grace Bumbry stars in the $7-million production that already has already played in Canada, Australia and Japan.