I love it when I learn about something completely new because of a postage stamp. This post is about one of those topics that was new to me thanks to this stamp, the Cairo Opera House. Egypt celebrated the centennial of this opera house with a stamp issued in 1969.
Opera houses and other music venues are popular topics on postage stamps. Perhaps the most famous opera house in the world is La Scala in Milan, which can be seen on an Italian stamp featred on this post. Another example is the Mariinsky Theater (formerly the Kirov) in St. Petersburg, celebrated on this stamp from the Soviet Union. Or if modern architecture is more your style, you can learn about the Beethovenhall in Bonn here.
Why are there so many opera houses and symphony halls on postage stamps? In most countries, these buildings were built by the state and are an item of great pride. They are typically signals of the sophistication of the country, and they are also the kinds of places where the artistic, financial, intellectual, and political elite meet. As I often say, stamps are political documents, so it makes sense that a building that is many take great pride in will be featured on a stamp.
The Royal Opera House
The Khedevial Opera House, or the Royal Opera House, was an opera house in Cairo. Pietro Avoscani, an architect from Livorno, designed the building. He took inspiration from the exterior of the La Scala opera house in Milan. The Khedevial opened in 1869 and celebrated the completion of the Suez Canal. The first performance in the hall was Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Rigoletto.
Egypt, 1971
Scott Number C139
On Christmas Eve 1871, Verdi’s new opera Aida made its premiere at the Royal Opera House. Aida was commissioned by the Khedevial Opera House and is now one of the most famous works in the repertoire. The story takes place in ancient Egypt and revolves around a love triangle between Aida, an Ethiopian Princess, Radames, an Egyptian soldier, and Amneris, daughter of the Egyptian King. Only after the premiere in Cairo, did Aida make its debut at La Scala.
The Khedevial, which was the oldest Opera House in Africa, caught fire on October 28, 1971 and burned to the ground. Yet, it was not until 1988 that the City opened a new Opera house. You may find this article that considers the Khedevial Opera House in light of European Cultural Colonialism interesting.
The Stamp
Scott Number EG 813
The vertical postage stamp has a background of purple with pink Arabic and English writing. To the left is a small representation of the iconic exterior of the building. On the right is a much larger image of the interior of the theater, while in the middle of a production of Aida. The denomination of the commemorative stamp is in the lower left hand corner of the stamp.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any footage from a performance at the Khedevial Opera House. Instead, here is the Triumphal March from the famed Zefferelli production, performed at La Scala. You will enjoy!
