Aida

Aida
Aida is an opera in four acts. It is based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. It was first performed at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo on December 24, 1871 under the baton of Giovanni Bottesini.

The Creation
Ismail Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, commissioned Verdi to write the opera for performance in January 1871, paying him 150,000 francs, but the premiere was delayed because of the Franco-Prussian War.

Aida met with great acclaim when it finally opened in December 1871, and it continues to be a staple of the standard operatic repertoire. It appears as number sixteen on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America. There are many recordings, and it is one of the most popular operas.

Later adoptions
Aida 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. Its story, but not its music, has been used as the basis for a 1998 musical of the same name written by Elton John and Tim Rice.

The Story Details
Aida is a story about old Egyptian love, wars, victories and deceptions. It describes a story of an Ethiopian princess who 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.

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 be chosen as the Egyptian commander.

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

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. Upon receiving the mandate from the King, Radames proceeds to the temple of Vulcan to take up the sacred arms.Alone in the hall, Aida is torn between her love for her father, her country, and Radames.

Solemn ceremonies and dances by the priestesses take place followed by the installation of Radames to the office of commander-in-chief. All present in the temple pray for the victory of Egypt and protection for their warriors.

Dances and music to celebrate Radames' victory take place. 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.

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.

This confession fires Amneris with rage, and she plans on taking revenge on Aida. Ignoring Aida's pleadings, Amneris leaves her alone in the chamber.Radames returns victorious and the troops march into the city.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.

Amonasro declares that the Ethiopian king 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.

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 and Amonasro remain as hostages to ensure that the Ethiopians do not avenge their defeat. Prayers are said on the eve of Amneris and Radames' wedding in the Temple of Isis.

The lure of ancient Egypt has always fascinated people and filled the more curious ones with awe via its mythology and behemoth tombs a.k.a. the pyramids. The opera Aida attempted to capture its essence at a time when modern Egyptology was beginning to unlock the ancient secrets.

The four-act based Aida portrays the story of Aida, an Ethiopian princess who whilst in the captivity of the Egyptian princess Amneris, falls for the warring charms of Radames, a young Egyptian commander. Ironically, Radames is also smitten by Aida and reveals to her the details of Ethiopia's invasion. Following Aida's apparent escape with her father Amonasro, Radames confesses his traitorousness to the priests. Though Amneris tries to save him with a marriage offer out of her love for him, he submits to being buried alive. As Amneris vents her anguish at the adjudicators, Radames is joined by an already hidden Aida.

With an original composition by Giuseppe Verdi to the libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, Aida first premiered at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo in December 1871. Though it was well-received, it repulsed Verdi only enthralling dignitaries and members of high society, barring the common public. The Milan premier the following year was more up to his satisfaction. The Metropolitan Opera version of Aida has clocked 1,100 performances since opening in 2007.

Enjoying wide acclaim throughout the 20th century, Aida inspired a namesake Disney musical, with a musical score composed by Elton John to lyrics by Tim Rice.

Aida is a phenomenal opera written by the classical music legend, Giuseppe Verdi, an opera consisting of four sensational acts. The Italian libretto for Aida is by the famous Antonio Ghislanzoni and is in itself based upon a scenario. This scenario is the work of famous Egyptologist, Auguste Mariette, a renowned authority on Egypt at that time. This incredible opera, Aida, which means visitor in English was first performed back in 1871 at the Khedivial Opera House located in the capital of Egypt, Cairo. It was conducted by renowned conductor, Giovanni Bottesini. This opera is also historical in that was a special commission by the then ruler of Egypt for a huge sum of one hundred and fifty thousand francs. From its debut in 1871, Aida has becoming one of the most famous and popular amongst all of Verdi's works and is truly a masterpiece.

This masterpiece, Aida, is definitely something that is a must see not once but twice and as many times as possible, through Aida Tickets. It is truly a phenomenal opera whose underlying story is regarded as breathtaking and mind blowing. It has been adapted into film many times, out of which two of its films, the 1953 one starring Sophia Loren and Lois Maxwell as well as the 1987 one starring Swedish actors have stood out. This opera has even been turned into a musical, debuted in 1998 and written by Tim Rice and Elton John. Its music and the underlying story woven by legends in the world of opera is truly fascinating and larger than life even today, over a hundred years later.

Get your Aida tickets now for beholding a slice of the life of Egypt under the Pharaonic bloodline.