Zubin Mehta conducts Aida, Verdis most spectacular and over-the-top opera, in a new production from the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Starring Marco Berti, Luciana DIntino and Hui He. Verdis Aida is one of the most popular operas of all time. It premiered at the Cairo Opera House on Christmas Eve, 1871, and was an immediate commercial success. The plot of Aida is filled with political intrigue, love, betrayal, passion, and vengeance, and has captivated audiences for generations. What piqued general curiosity about this new production of Aida was undoubtedly the operatic debut of Ferzan Ozpetek, a Turkish auteur who, after settling in Italy as a student, has become one of the most prominent directors of Italian cinema in the last decade, directing acclaimed films as La finestra di fronte (Facing Windows) and Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons).