When—at age 26—Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi premiered his first opera, Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio (1839) in Milan, Rossini had not offered a new opera for 10 years, bel canto composer Vincenzo Bellini was dead, and Donizetti was composing for Parisian audiences. Welcome as the debut of a new talent was, no one could predict that Verdi’s 26 operas—the last written in 1893, when he was 80 years old—would completely dominate Italian music in the last half of the 19th century. Loyal to the traditions of Italian opera and to the cause of Italian political unification, Verdi was revered by a faithful public and became a national hero. Even today his operas remain among the most frequently performed works, not only in Italy but also on the international stage.
An important influence on Verdi’s middle period was French grand opera. For Parisian audiences he wrote Les vêpres siciliennes (1855) to a libretto in French by Meyerbeer’s collaborator, Eugène Scribe, and Charles Duveyrier, which blended French and Italian elements and contributed to Verdi’s growing international fame. Invited by the Khedive of Egypt to compose an opera for the new opera house in Cairo, Verdi responded with Aida (libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario by Auguste Mariette, the French Egyptologist, and Camille du Locle, with the collaboration of Verdi), which received its premiere in 1871. Aida combines the heroic quality and spectacle of grand opera with the composer’s penchant for vivid character portrayal and rich harmonic and orchestral colour. (Source: Britannica)
Opera, Blood, and Tears
presents
“Aida”
celebrating its premiere with us
December 24 at 10:30pm EST
on Clubhouse
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist: Antonio Ghislanzoni
World premiere: Cairo Opera House, 1871.
ACT I
Egypt, during the reign of the pharaohs.
At the royal palace in Memphis, the high priest Ramfis tells the warrior Radamès that Ethiopia is preparing another attack against Egypt. Radamès hopes to command his army. He is in love with Aida, the Ethiopian slave of Princess Amneris, the king’s daughter, and he believes that victory in the war would enable him to free her and marry her. But Amneris loves Radamès, and when the three meet, she jealously senses his feelings for Aida. A messenger tells the King of Egypt and the assembled priests and soldiers that the Ethiopians are advancing. The king names Radamès to lead the army, and all join in a patriotic anthem. Left alone, Aida is torn between her love for Radamès and loyalty to her native country, where her father, Amonasro, is king. She prays to the gods for mercy.
In the temple of Vulcan, the priests consecrate Radamès to the service of the god. Ramfis orders him to protect the homeland.
ACT II
Ethiopia has been defeated, and Amneris waits for the triumphant return of Radamès. When Aida approaches, the princess sends away her other attendants so that she can learn her slave’s private feelings. She first pretends that Radamès has fallen in battle, then says he is still alive. Aida’s reactions leave no doubt that she loves Radamès. Amneris, certain she will be victorious over her rival, leaves for the triumphal procession.
At the city gates the king and Amneris observe the celebrations and crown Radamès with a victor’s wreath. Captured Ethiopians are led in. Among them is Amonasro, Aida’s father, who signals his daughter not to reveal his identity as king. Radamès is impressed by Amonasro’s eloquent plea for mercy and asks for the death sentence on the prisoners to be overruled and for them to be freed. The king grants his request but keeps Amonasro in custody. The king declares that as a victor’s reward, Radamès will have Amneris’s hand in marriage.
ACT III
On the eve of Amneris’s wedding, Ramfis and Amneris enter a temple on the banks of the Nile to pray. Aida, who is waiting for Radamès, is lost in thoughts of her homeland. Amonasro suddenly appears. Invoking Aida’s sense of duty, he makes her agree to find out from Radamès which route the Egyptian army will take to invade Ethiopia. Amonasro hides as Radamès arrives and assures Aida of his love. They dream about their future life together, and Radamès agrees to run away with her. Aida asks him about his army’s route, and just as he reveals the secret, Amonasro emerges from his hiding place. When he realizes that Amonasro is the Ethiopian king, Radamès is horrified by what he has done. While Aida and Amonasro try to calm him, Ramfis and Amneris step out of the temple. Father and daughter are able to escape, but Radamès surrenders to the priests.
ACT IV
Radamès awaits trial as a traitor, believing Aida to be dead. Even after he learns that she has survived, he rejects an offer by Amneris to save him if he renounces Aida. When he is brought before the priests, he refuses to answer their accusations and is condemned to be buried alive. Amneris begs for mercy, but the judges will not change their verdict. She curses the priests.
Aida has hidden in the vault to share Radamès’s fate. They express their love for the last time while Amneris, in the temple above, prays for Radamès’s soul. (Source: Metropolitan Opera)
Sila Blume 