Aida - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

3/18/12 Aida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1/6en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida

Sketch by Auguste Mariette for the

premiere

AidaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aida (pronounced /a!i"da/) sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni,

based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. Aida was first performed at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo on 24

December 1871, conducted by Giovanni Bottesini.

Contents

1 Origin2 Performance history

2.1 Cairo premiere and initial success in Italy2.2 Performances2.3 20th and 21st centuries

3 Roles4 Setting5 Synopsis

5.1 Act 15.2 Act 25.3 Act 35.4 Act 4

6 Adaptations7 Recordings8 References9 External links

Origin

Isma'il Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, commissioned Verdi to write the opera for performance in January 1871, paying him 150,000 francs,[1] but

the premiere was delayed because of the Franco-Prussian War. One scholar has argued that the scenario was written by Temistocle Solera

and not by Auguste Mariette.[2] Metastasio's libretto Nitteti (1756) was a major source of the plot.[3] Contrary to popular belief, the opera was

not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, nor that of the Khedivial Opera House (which opened with Verdi's Rigoletto)

in the same year. (Verdi had been asked to compose an ode for the opening of the Canal, but declined on the grounds that he did not write

"occasional pieces".)[4]

Performance history

Cairo premiere and initial success in Italy

Verdi originally chose not to write an overture for the opera, but merely a brief orchestral prelude. He

then composed an overture of the "potpourri" variety to replace the original prelude. However, in the

end he decided not to have the overture performed because of its – his own words – "pretentious

insipidity". This overture, not normally used today, was given a rare broadcast performance by

Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra on 30 March 1940, which was never

commercially issued.[5]

Aida met with great acclaim when it finally opened in Cairo on 24 December 1871. The costumes,

accessories and stages for the premiere were designed by Auguste Mariette. Although Verdi did not

attend the premiere in Cairo, he was most dissatisfied with the fact that the audience consisted of

invited dignitaries, politicians and critics, but no members of the general public. He therefore

considered the Italian (and European) premiere, held at La Scala, Milan on 8 February 1872, and in

which he was heavily involved at every stage, to be its real premiere.

Verdi had also written the role of Aida for the voice of Teresa Stolz, who sang it for the first time at the Milan premiere. Verdi had asked her

fiancé, Angelo Mariani, to conduct the Cairo premiere, but he declined, so Giovanni Bottesini filled the gap.[6] The Milan Amneris, Maria



Poster for a 1908 production in Cleveland

Waldmann, was his favourite in the role and she repeated it a number of times at his request.[7]

Aida was received with great enthusiasm at its Milan premiere. The opera was soon mounted at major opera houses throughout Italy,

including the Teatro Regio di Parma (20 April 1872), the Teatro di San Carlo (30 March 1873), La Fenice (11 June 1873), the Teatro Regio

di Torino (26 December 1874), the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (30 September 1877, with Giuseppina Pasqua as Amneris and Franco

Novara as the King), and the Teatro Costanzi (8 October 1881, with Theresia Singer as Aida and Giulia Novelli as Amneris) among

others.[8]

Performances

Details of important national and other premieres of Aida follow:

The Americas: 4 October 1873, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (most likely theoriginal Teatro Colón prior to the present one or Teatro Opera)United States: 26 November 1873, Academy of Music in New York City, withOstava Torriani in the title role, Annie Louise Cary as Amneris, Italo Campaninias Radames, Victor Maurel as Amonasro, and Evasio Scolara as the KingGermany: 20 April 1874, Berlin State Opera, with Mathilde Mallinger as Aida,Albert Niemann as Radames, and Franz Betz as AmonasroSpain: 12 December 1874, Teatro RealAustria: 29 April 1874, Vienna State Opera, with Amalie Materna as Amneris

Hungary: 10 April 1875, Hungarian State Opera House, Budapest[8]

Poland: 23 November 1875, Great Theatre and Polish National Opera, Warsaw.With Polish translation Aida was performed for the first time 9 June 1877.

France: 22 April 1876, Théâtre-Lyrique Italien, Salle Ventadour, Paris, with almost the same cast as the Milan premiere[8]

Russia: 1 December 1875, Mariinsky Theatre, Saint PetersburgBohemia: 11 December 1875, New Czech Theatre, PragueUnited Kingdom: 22 June 1876, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with Adelina Patti as Aida, Ernesto Nicolini as Radames, and

Francesco Graziani as Amonasro[9]

Monaco: 13 May 1877, National Theatre, Monte Carlo

Australia: 6 September 1877, Royal Theatre, Melbourne[10]

Munich: 1877, Bavarian State Opera, with Josephine Schefsky as Amneris[11]

Stockholm: 1880, Royal Swedish Opera, with Selma Ek in the title role[12]

Palais Garnier, Paris: 15 October 1881, with Gabrielle Krauss as Aida, Rosine Bloch as Amnéris, Henri Sellier as Radames, Georges-François Menu as the King, and Auguste Boudouresque as Ramphis.Metropolitan Opera, New York: 12 November 1886, conducted by Anton Seidl, with Therese Herbert-Förster (the wife of VictorHerbert) in the title role, Carl Zobel as Radames, Marianne Brandt as Amneris, Adolf Robinson as Amonasro, Emil Fischer as Ramfis,

and Georg Sieglitz as the King.[8]

Rio de Janeiro: 30 June 1886, Theatro Lyrico Fluminense. During rehearsals at the Theatro Lyrico there was an ongoing quarrelbetween the performers of the Italian touring opera company and the local inept conductor, with the result that substitute conductorswere rejected by the audience. Arturo Toscanini, at the time a 19-year-old cellist who was assistant chorus master, was persuaded totake up the baton for the performance. Toscanini conducted the entire opera from memory, with great success. This would be the start

of a promising career.[13][14]

New York 1949. Complete concert version of the opera, the first to be televised (on the NBC television network), conducted byToscanini with Herva Nelli as Aida and Richard Tucker as Rhadames. Due to the length of the opera, it was divided into two telecasts,preserved on kinescopes, and later released on home video by RCA and Testament. The audio portion of the broadcast, includingsome remakes in June 1954, was released on LP and CD by RCA Victor.

20th and 21st centuries

Aida continues to be a staple of the standard operatic repertoire and appears as number 13 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas

worldwide.[15] As of 2007, the Metropolitan Opera alone has given more than 1,100 performances of the opera, making it the second most

frequently performed work by the company behind La bohème.

Roles

Role Voice type

Premiere cast,

24 December 1871[16]

Cairo

European premiere

8 February 1872[17]

La Scala, Milan



The King of Egypt

2007 production of Aida at the Arena di Verona.

(Conductor: Giovanni Bottesini) (Conductor: Franco Faccio)

Aida, an Ethiopian princess soprano Antonietta Anastasi-Pozzoni Teresa Stolz

The King of Egypt bass Tommaso Costa Paride Pavoleri

Amneris, daughter of the King mezzo-soprano Eleonora Grossi Maria Waldmann

Radames, Captain of the Guard tenor Pietro Mongini Giuseppe Fancelli

Amonasro, King of Ethiopia baritone Francesco Steller Francesco Pandolfini

Ramfis, high Priest bass Paolo Medini Ormando Maini

A messenger tenor Luigi Stecchi-Bottardi Luigi Vistarini

Voice of the High Priestess[18] soprano Marietta Allievi

Priests, priestesses, ministers, captains, soldiers, officials, Ethiopians, slaves and prisoners, Egyptians, animals and chorus

Setting

The opera does not specify a very precise time period and so it is difficult to place it more accurately than the

Old Kingdom.[19] For the first production, Mariette went to great efforts to make the sets

and costumes authentic.[20] Given the consistent artistic styles through the 3000 year

history of ancient Egypt, a given production does not particularly need to choose a

specific time period within the larger frame of ancient Egyptian history.[19]

Synopsis

Overview: Aida, an Ethiopian princess, is captured and brought into slavery in Egypt. A

military commander, Radames, struggles to choose between his love for her and his

loyalty to the Pharaoh. To complicate the story further, Radames is loved by the

Pharaoh's daughter Amneris, although he does not return her feelings.

Act 1

Scene 1: A hall in the King's palace; through the rear gate the pyramids and temples of Memphis

Ramfis, the high priest of Egypt, tells Radames, the young warrior, that war with the Ethiopians seems inevitable, and Radames expresses the

hope that he can be chosen as the Egyptian commander. (Ramfis, Radames : Si, corre voce I'Etiope ardisca / "Yes, it is rumored that Ethiopia

dares once again to threaten our power").

Radames dreams both of gaining victory on the battle field and of Aida, the Ethiopian slave, with whom he is secretly in love (Radames: Se

quel guerrier io fossi!...Celeste Aida / "Heavenly Aida"). Aida, who is also secretly in love with Radames, is the captured daughter of the

Ethiopian King Amonasro, but her Egyptian captors are unaware of her true identity. Her father has invaded Egypt to deliver her from

servitude.

Amneris, the daughter of the Egyptian King enters the hall. She too loves Radames, but fears that his heart belongs to somebody else

(Radames, Amneris: Quale insolita gioia nel tuo sguardo / "In your looks I trace a joy unwonted").

Then Aida appears and, when Radames sees her, Amneris notices that he looks disturbed. She suspects that Aida could be her rival, but she

is able to hide her jealousy and approaches her (Amneris, Aida, Radames: Vieni, o diletta, appressati / "Come, O delight, come closer").

The King enters, along with the High Priest, Ramfis, and the whole palace court. A messenger announces that the Ethiopians, led by King

Amonasro, are marching towards Thebes. The King declares war and also proclaims Radames to be the man chosen by the goddess Isis as

leader of the army (The King, Messenger, Radames, Aida, Amneris, chorus: Alta cagion v'aduna / "Oh fate o'er Egypt looming"). Upon

receiving the mandate from the King, Radames proceeds to the temple of Vulcan to take up the sacred arms (The King, Radames, Aida,

Amneris, chorus: Su! del Nilo al sacro lido / "On! Of Nilus' sacred river, guard the shores").

Alone in the hall, Aida is torn between her love for her father, her country, and Radames. (Aida: Ritorna vincitor / "Return a conqueror").

Scene 2: Inside the Temple of Vulcan

Solemn ceremonies and dances by the priestesses take place (High Priestess, chorus, Radames: Possente Ftha...Tu che dal nulla / "O mighty



The "triumphal scene" from Opera Pacific's

production of Aida in 2006, starring Angela Brown

as Aida, Donnie Ray Albert as Amonasro, Andrew

Gangestad as Ramfis, Carl Tanner as Radames,

Milena Kiti! as Amneris, and Stefan Szkafarowsky

as King of Egypt.

Ptah.") followed by the installation of Radames to the office of commander-in-chief. (High Priestess, chorus, Radames: Immenso Ftha ..

Mortal, diletto ai Numi / "O mighty one, guard and protect!"). All present in the temple pray for the victory of Egypt and protection for their

warriors (Nume, custode e vindice/ "Hear us, O guardian deity").

Act 2

Scene 1: The chamber of Amneris

Dances and music to celebrate Radames' victory take place (Chorus, Amneris: Chi mai

fra gli inni e i plausi / "Our songs his glory praising"'). However, Amneris is still in

doubt about Radames' love and wonders whether Aida is in love with the young

warrior. She tries to forget her doubt, entertaining her worried heart with the dance of

Moorish slaves (Chorus, Amneris: Vieni: sul crin ti piovano / "Come bind your flowing

tresses").

When Aida enters the chamber, Amneris asks everyone to leave. By falsely telling Aida

that Radames has died in the battle, she tricks her into professing her love for him. In

grief, and shocked by the news, Aida confesses that her heart belongs to Radames

eternally (Amneris, Aida: Fu la sorte dell' armi a' tuoi funesta / "The battle's outcome

was cruel for your people...").

This confession fires Amneris with rage, and she plans on taking revenge on Aida.

Ignoring Aida's pleadings, (Amneris, Aida, chorus: Su! del Nilo al sacro lido / "Up! at

the sacred shores of the Nile") Amneris leaves her alone in the chamber.

Scene 2: The grand gate of the city of Thebes

Radames returns victorious and the troops march into the city (Chorus, Ramfis: Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside / "Glory to Egypt, to Isis!"). The

Egyptian king decrees that on this day the triumphant Radames may have anything he wishes. The Ethiopian captives are rounded up and

Amonasro appears among them. Aida immediately rushes to her father, but their true identities are still unknown to the Egyptians, save for

the fact that they are father and daughter. Amonasro declares that the Ethiopian king (he himself) has been slain in battle. Aida, Amonasro

and the captured Ethiopians plead with the Egyptian King for mercy, but the Egyptians call for their death (Aida, Amneris, Radames, The

King, Amonasro, chorus: Che veggo! .. Egli? .. Mio padre! .. Anch'io pugnai / "What do I see?.. Is it he? My father?").

As his reward from the King, Radames pleads with him to spare the lives of the prisoners and to set them free. Gratefully, the King of Egypt

declares Radames to be his successor and to be his daughter's betrothed (Aida, Amneris, Radames, The King, Amonasro, chorus: O Re: pei

sacri Numi! .. Gloria all'Egitto / "O King, by the sacred gods..."). Aida and Amonasro remain as hostages to ensure that the Ethiopians do

not avenge their defeat.

Act 3

On the banks of the Nile, near the Temple of Isis

Prayers are said (Chorus, Ramfis, Amneris: O tu che sei d'Osiride / "O thou who to Osiris art...") on the eve of Amneris and Radames'

wedding in the Temple of Isis. Outside, Aida waits to meet with Radames as they had planned (Aida: Qui Radames verra .. O patria mia /

"Oh, my dear country!").

Amonasro appears and forces Aida to agree to find out the location of the Egyptian army from Radames (Aida, Amonasro: Ciel, mio padre!

.. Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate / "Once again shalt thou gaze."). When he arrives, Amonasro hides behind a rock and listens to their

conversation.

Radames affirms that Aida is the person he will marry (Pur ti riveggo, mio dolce Aida .. Nel fiero anelito; Fuggiam gli ardori inospiti .. La,

tra foreste vergini / "I see you again, my sweet Aida!"), and Aida convinces him to flee to the desert with her.

In order to make their escape easier, Radames proposes that they use a safe route without any fear of discovery and he also reveals the

location where his army has chosen to attack. Upon hearing this, Amonasro comes out of hiding and reveals his identity. Radames feels

dishonored. At the same time Amneris and Ramfis leave the temple and, seeing Radames with their enemy, call the guards. Amonasro and

Aida try to convince Radames to escape with them, but he refuses and surrenders to the imperial guards.

Act 4



The Israeli Opera performing Aida at

the foot of Masada, 11 June 2011

Scene 1: A hall in the Temple of Justice. To one side is the door leading to Radames' prison cell

Amneris (L'aborrita rivale a me sfuggia / "My hated rival has escaped me") desires to save Radames. She calls for the guard to bring him to

her.

She asks Radames to deny the accusations, but Radames refuses. Certain that, as punishment, he will be condemned to death, Amneris

implores him to defend himself, but Radames firmly refuses. He is relieved to know Aida is still alive and hopes she has reached her own

country (Amneris, Radames: Gia i Sacerdoti adunasi / "Already the priests are assembling"). His decision hurts Amneris.

Radames' trial takes place offstage; he does not reply to Ramfis' accusations and is condemned to death, while Amneris, who remains

onstage, pleads with the priests to show him mercy. As he is sentenced to be buried alive, Amneris curses the priests while Radames is taken

away (Judgment scene, Amneris, Ramfis, and chorus: Ahime! .. morir mi sento / "Alas... I feel death").

Scene 2: The lower portion of the stage shows the vault in the Temple of Vulcan; the upper portion represents the temple itself

Radames has been taken into the lower floor of the temple and sealed up in a dark vault. Thinking that he is alone and hoping that Aida is in

a safer place, he hears a sigh and then sees Aida. She has hidden herself in the vault in order to die with Radames. (Radames and Aida: La

fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse. / "The fatal stone now closes over me.") They accept their terrible fate (Radames: Morir! Si pura e bella / "To

die! So pure and lovely!") and bid farewell to earth and its sorrows.[21] Above the vault in the temple of Vulcan, Amneris weeps and prays to

the goddess Isis. In the vault below, Aida dies in Radames' arms. (Chorus, Aida, Radames, Amneris: Immenso Ftha / "Almighty Ptah.")

Adaptations

The opera has been adapted for motion pictures on several occasions, most notably in a 1953 production which starred Lois Maxwell and

Sophia Loren, and a 1987 Swedish production. In both cases, the lead actors lip-synched to recordings by actual opera singers. The opera's

story, but not its music, was used as the basis for a 1998 musical of the same name written by Elton John and Tim Rice.

Recordings

See Aida discography.

References

Notes

1. ^ Greene, David Mason (1985). Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers. Reproducing Piano

Roll Fnd.. pp. 622. ISBN 0-385-14278-1.

2. ^ Phillips-Matz, p. ?

3. ^ Oxford Music on Line

4. ^ Budden, Vol. 3, pp. 163–187

5. ^ Morton H. Frank, Arturo Toscanini: The NBC Years, p. 28. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 2002 ISBN

1574670697 on books.google.com (http://books.google.com/books?

id=wBD_ujAW520C&pg=PA218&lpg=PA218&dq=Toscanini,+Verdi+Aida,+Mortimer+Frank&source=bl&ots=L7TQk2UxdW&sig=9KOEnaR64HfGcwo7ZYjMl-

NskWM&hl=en&ei=h9yCS7S6OtCWtgefiZX-Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CBgQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=&f=false)

6. ^ Baltimore Opera Company (http://www.baltimoreopera.com/education/studyguide/2008studyguide.pdf)

7. ^ Verdi’s Falstaff in Letters and Contemporary Reviews (http://www.questia-online-library.com/read/98196653?title=Notes)

8. ^ a b c d Aida performance history at amadeusonline.net (http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?

Start=0&Giorno=&Mese=&Anno=&Giornata=&Testo=Aida&Parola=Stringa)

9. ^ Holden, p. 983

10. ^ Eric Irvin, Dictionary of the Australian Theatre 1788–1914

11. ^ Biography of Josephine Schefsky at theaterspielen.ch (in German) (http://www.theaterspielen.ch/Besetzungsliste%20Ur76.pdf)

12. ^ Ek Biography at operissimo.com (in German) (http://hosting.triboni.com/triboni/exec?

method=com.operissimo.artist.webDisplay&id=ffcyoieagxaaaaabbhrc&xsl=webDisplay&searchStr=Selma)



13. ^ Tarozzi, Giuseppe (1977). Non muore la musica – La vita e l'opera di Arturo Toscanini. Sugarco Edizioni. p. 36.)

14. ^ Nicotra, Tobia (2005). Arturo Toscanini. Kessinger Publ. Co. ISBN 978-1-4179-0126-5.

15. ^ "Statistics, 2005–10" (http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en#opera) . Operabase. http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en#opera. Retrieved 2 July

2011.

16. ^ Budden, p. 160

17. ^ AmadeusOnline (http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?Start=0&Giorno=&Mese=&Anno=1872&Giornata=&Testo=aida&Parola=Stringa)

18. ^ The High Priestess's name was Termuthis in early documentation.

19. ^ a b "Aida and Ancient Egyptian History on the Met Opera website" (http://archive.operainfo.org/broadcast/operaBackground.cgi?

id=33&language=1) . http://archive.operainfo.org/broadcast/operaBackground.cgi?id=33&language=1.

20. ^ Weisgall, The New York Times

21. ^ The original draft included a speech by Aida (excised from the final version) that explained her presence beneath the Temple: "My heart knew your

sentence. For three days I have waited here." The line most familiar to audiences translates as: "My heart forewarned me of your condemnation. In

this tomb that was opened for you I entered secretly. Here, away from human sight, in your arms I wish to die."

Cited sources

Budden, Julian (1981). The Operas of Verdi, Vol. 3. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-30740-8.</ref>Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-140-29312-4"Aida" (http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/opr/t237/e176) in The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd ed. rev., editedby Michael Kennedy. (Accessed 19 September 2010) (Subscription required.)

Melitz, Leo, The Opera Goer's Complete Guide, Dodd, Mead and Company, 1921 (Source of synopsis with updating to its language)Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane, ‘’Verdi: A Biography’’, London & New York: Oxford University Press, 1993 ISBN 0193132044 (Cited inAlexis Hamilton, Origins... Aida, Portland Opera (http://www.portlandopera.org/operas/2007-2008/aida?c=field_about) , 2007)Simon, Henry W. (1946). A Treasury of Grand Opera. Simon and Schuster, New York, New York.Weisgall, Deborah. "Looking at Ancient Egypt, Seeing Modern America" (http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/14/movies/art-architecture-looking-at-ancient-egypt-seeing-modern-america.html) , The New York Times, 14 November 1999. Retrieved 2 July 2011

Other sources

The Victrola Guide to the Opera, 6th edition.Wells, John (2009). "Aida". Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Pearson Longman. ISBN 978-1405881173.

External links

Aida: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.Opera Guide (http://www.opera-guide.ch/opern_komponisten.php?uilang=en&first-letter=V) Synopsis – Libretto – HighlightsClassics for Kids – The Story of Aida (http://www.classicsforkids.com/shows/showplayer_frame.asp?ID=061607) (synopsis withmusical examples)"Opera in a nutshell" (http://www.kernkonzepte.ch/nutver.htm) Soundfiles (MIDI)Complete libretto of the opera (http://www.giuseppeverdi.it/stampabile.asp?IDCategoria=162&IDSezione=581&ID=19600)Score (http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variations/scores/bhr1116/)Creative Commons MP3 Recording (http://www.classicistranieri.com/giuseppe-verdi-aida-mp3-rai-1951.html)Aria Database list of arias (http://www.aria-database.com/cgi-bin/aria-search.pl?opera=Aida&a)Further Aida discography (http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLVEAIDA.HTM)San Diego OperaTalk! with Nick Reveles: Verdi's Aida (http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.asp?showID=5050)Aida by Antonio Ghislanzoni, music by Giuseppe Verdi (1871) on the Online Library of Liberty. (http://oll.libertyfund.org/title/2218)

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Categories: Operas by Giuseppe Verdi Italian-language operas Grand operas 1871 operas Operas Operas set in Egypt

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