A new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera *Aida* opened this week at Barcelona’s Liceu opera house, offering a contemporary reinterpretation that reflects the ongoing violence and displacement affecting civilians in modern conflicts. The staging is directed by Iranian-born artist Shirin Neshat, who has drawn on her personal experiences of exile and the turmoil in her homeland to reshape the classical work into a brooding exploration of war’s psychological and emotional effects, particularly on women.
In the narrative of *Aida*, the titular character is an Ethiopian princess held captive in Egypt during wartime, caught between loyalty to her homeland and a love affair with an enemy soldier. Neshat embraces this duality, highlighting Aida’s strength and complexity rather than portraying her as a submissive victim, a departure from traditional stagings. The production features bold visual elements, including a line of naked bodies displayed as “props” beneath a geometric sculpture on stage, representing prisoners of war with a haunting presence. These visuals emphasize the human cost of conflict in a stark and unsettling manner.
Neshat’s adaptation incorporates contemporary references, notably responding to the escalating violence in her native Iran. New video scenes filmed in 2025 accompany the opera, coinciding with a period described as a “12-day war” when the US and Israel conducted bombings in Iran. This latest version is reportedly about 40% more violent than previous iterations, with choreographed scenes portraying violence against women and uniforms inspired by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The production’s lead role is performed by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, who brings a commanding presence to the character of Aida. Netrebko, who has previously faced controversy over her perceived connections to President Vladimir Putin amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has publicly condemned the invasion but stopped short of directly criticizing the Russian president. She declined a formal interview but contributed comments during rehearsals, describing Aida as a woman burdened by imposed national identities but ultimately transcending them.
Neshat relates her own feelings of displacement and anxiety to those of her protagonist and performer. Having lived in the United States for over 30 years, unable to visit Iran, and recently mourning the death of her mother, she channels personal grief and the broader trauma of exile into her artistic work. She has long been influenced by Persian poetic and mystical traditions, previously expressed through photography and film, and now finds opera a fitting medium to combine music, image, and emotion.
The production deliberately strips away the grandeur typically associated with *Aida*—such as the historic use of elaborate sets and live animals in Verona’s Roman amphitheatre—to present a more austere and challenging interpretation. It reframes Verdi’s score to highlight its tender yet war-torn qualities while embedding disturbing imagery that confronts viewers with the realities of modern-day conflict and oppression.
Former Salzburg Festival artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser, who originally invited Neshat to direct *Aida* in 2017, praises the director’s approach as rooted in the emotional core of the opera and its timeless relevance. The performance runs through October 15 in Barcelona.