The action takes place in ancient Egypt, and tells of the love of Radames, the captain of the guard, for a slave girl, Aida. She is the daughter of the King of Ethiopia, who is captured by Radames and the Egyptian troops. Tricked into betraying military secrets, Radames is condemned to be buried alive. He is joined by Aida, who dies with him.

The four parts of the opera have the titles The Duel, The Gypsy, The Gypsy's Son and The Execution. Ferrando tells the story of the revenge taken by a gypsy for the death of her mother, the apparent destruction in the fire of the son of the old Count di Luna. In the palace gardens Leonora waits for her lover, the troubadour Manrico, mistaking the Count di Luna, who also loves her, for him, an error that ends with a duel between the two men. At the...

The great tenor sings selections from Rigoletto, La Boheme, and La Traviata.