Licitra Sings Verdi's 'Aida' in Italy Mon Aug 11, 3:42 PM ET By Ronald Blum, Associated Press Writer VERONA, Italy - Ancient Egypt couldn't have been much hotter than this. With the temperature near 100 degrees Sunday night, the stage of the Arena di Verona was filled with hundreds of singers, dancers and extras drenched in sweat, performing Verdi's "Aida." The 2,000-year-old amphitheater was originally built by Romans for their sordid entertainment involving lions and prisoners. It was given new use in 1913, when Tulio Serafin conducted "Aida" to celebrate the 100th anniversary year of Verdi's birth. "Aida" has been central to the annual event ever since, a spectacle large enough to fill the vast stage. And Franco Zeffirelli, the master of spectacle, had what seemed like all of Egypt on stage - along with a huge revolving pyramid in the center that could have been straight out of the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas. article continued here- http://tinylink.com/?V2q3PVDuaM -Neb Rodgers <[log in to unmask]>