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MILAN, Italy, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Franco Zeffirelli hopes his return to Italy's legendary La Scala house after a 14-year absence will restore Italy to the top spot in opera.
Within 24 hours all tickets for 11 performances of Verdi's "Aida" sold out.
Prime Minister Romano Prodi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British actor Rupert Everett attended the Thursday premiere, reports the BBC.
La Scala's opening night is a high point in the European social season, with the most expensive seat in the house going for $2,500.
Zeffirelli calls his production the "Aida of Aidas." The opera unfolds the story of Radames, an Egyptian commander torn between love for his slave Aida and his devotion to the Pharaoh.
A mask of Tutankhamen features 200 kg of gold dust, and 400 costumes have been made for the production.
The BBC says Italy's opera is troubled, with three of the top houses claiming to be on the edge of bankruptcy. Zeffirelli says he wants to make La Scala the "world capital" for opera, and the house hopes "Aida" will yield a $2 million profit.
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