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It could be a match made in heaven: one of the most epic and dramatic works in opera and a designer whose own sense of the theatrical is apparent in both her clothes and the ever-changing colour of her hair.
Zandra Rhodes, a stalwart if eccentric part of
the British fashion scene since the 1970s, has designed the costumes for a new production of Verdi's extravagant Egyptian opera Aida, being staged in London as part of the English National Opera's new season.
It will be her opera debut in Britain. Rhodes has designed costumes for productions in the United States.
The company, which has been beset by financial problems, hopes the production will replicate the critical and commercial success of last year's Madam Butterfly, directed by Anthony Minghella and praised for its visual style.
Aida will be one of the highlights of the new season, which also features a new production of Carmen, directed by the British film director Sally Potter and the British premiere of Lost Highway, directed by Austrian avant garde director Olga Neuwirth and based on the David Lynch film of the same name.
Rhodes' costumes, described as "visually stunning" by the ENO's artistic director John Berry, are based on sketches she made on a visit to Egypt in 1986.
The production has already premiered in Houston, near Rhodes' home in San Diego, where she lives part of the year with her partner.
She has already designed costumes for productions of The Magic Flute and The Pearl Fishers for the San Diego Opera in Texas.
Rhodes said she had come to opera relatively late in life. Her costumes for Aida were designed to represent "a dream world of gold, turquoise and aquamarine". American reviews described the production as "eye popping" and Berry added, "No one who knows Zandra Rhodes' work will be disappointed."
The ENO version will be directed by Jo Davies, who has worked with Nicholas Hytner, Trevor Nunn, Phyllida Lloyd and others, as well as collaborating with Fiona Shaw and Deborah Warner on Medea.
Berry stressed that the ENO had to make provisions for the future with an "exciting programme" despite the uncertainty created by a proposed cut of 10 per cent of staff and continuing rumours that its funding might be cut.
Loretta Tomasi, the chief executive, added: "We have to plan ahead, otherwise it would not happen."
- INDEPENDENT