In a major coup for South Australia, it has been announced that TEG Live and Condon Presents is bringing Franco Zeffirelli’s outdoor staging of Aida to Australia for two nights only at the Adelaide Oval next February.

This is the first time the production will be staged outside Italy’s Arena di Verona, where it premiered in 2002, and it will be mounted by Zeffirelli’s longtime associate Stefano Trespidi with world-renowned Italian maestro Nicola Luisotti conducting.

Aida at Arena di Verona. Photo supplied

Featuring alternate casts, it will open with two-time Grammy Award-winning soprano Angel Blue as Aida – a role she made her own earlier this year at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

At the second performance, Maria José Siri will take on the title role, which she has sung over 170 times around the world, including at La Scala and the Pyramids of Giza.

Alongside Angel Blue, tenor Jonas Kaufmann returns to Australia as Radamès, with Brian Jagde singing opposite Maria José Siri.

Mezzo-sopranos Elīna Garanča and Agnieszka Rehlis will share the role of Amneris, while...