Aida, la musica danza nella sabbia | Teatro del Baraccano

On Sunday April 12, 2026, at 11:15 AM at the Teatro del Baraccano, the performance Aida, la musica danza nella sabbia (the Music Dances in the Sand) will be staged, a reduction of the opera by Giuseppe Verdi for ensemble and speaking voice.

The monumental opera Aida, in the Orchestra del Baraccano’s musical version, does not call for spectacular staging, colossal spaces, or grand scenography. Even the elephants may stop marching, leaving room—astonished and moved—for the human drama between the defeated and the victors, in war and in love. We rediscover the suffocating grandeur envisioned by Giuseppe Verdi and its overwhelming effect on the souls of the young protagonists, in this original reduction and arrangement for a nine-part instrumental ensemble, in the impetuous style of conductor Giambattista Giocoli, in the verses spoken and whispered by Sandra Cavallini, and in the deliberately irregular meter of the libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Lyrical accents, triumphant passages, and sudden suspensions reveal the delicate depths of the work. This reduction and arrangement, even without singers, seeks to convey the dramatic and symphonic power of the opera, as well as its profound intimacy of feeling and musicality, alongside the majestic and grand moments inspired by the magnificence of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Contrary to the prevailing tradition, which has made it famous mainly for the splendor of its staging, this production offers an innovative interpretation focused on the deep intimacy of emotions and reflections on social dynamics.

ORCHESTRA DEL BARACCANO
reduction and conducting Giambattista Giocoli

Alessandro Di Marco violin
Fabio Lambroni cello
Margherita Russo flute and piccolo
Daniele Titti clarinet
Andrea Coruzzi accordion
Sergio Ruiu trumpet
Riccardo Gatti trombone
Gianluigi Paganelli tuba
Anastasia Fioravanti piano

musical arrangements Fabio Codeluppi

narrating voice and text reduction Sandra Cavallini