Opera "Aida": content, video, interesting facts, history

D. Verdi opera "Aida"

Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Aida" can rightly be called one of the best in the history of music. Everything in it is beautiful: colorful music, vivid images and an unusual plot based on real historical events, which gives it particular urgency. It is known that the scriptwriter was the famous Egyptologist O.E. Mariette, who borrowed the plot from the ancient papyrus he had translated. Over the libretto worked Antonio Gislanzoni. Action Opera "Aida"takes place during the reign of the pharaohs. Despite the seemingly historical basis, personal drama, a classic love triangle and burning jealousy that blinds and destroys life come to the fore.

Summary of the opera Verdi "Aida" and many interesting facts about this work, read on our page.

Summary of "Aida"

The plot of the opera unfolds in the capital of ancient Egypt - Memphis and talk about the times of confrontation between the Egyptians and Ethiopians. The center of the opera is the story of two lovers: the Ethiopian princess Aida, who is now a slave at the court of Pharaoh, and Radamès, the chief of the palace guard appointed by the commander.

Despite the huge and bright feeling that flashed between them, they had a sad fate. Pharaoh's jealous and vengeful daughter Amneris reports about a conspiracy between them and Radames's custody. Still would! After all, he tried to help escape not by anyone else, but by real enemies - the Ethiopian king Amonasro and his daughter Aida.

The opera ends very sadly for all the heroes - Aida’s father dies while trying to escape, the priests are sentenced to death by Radames to be buried in a dungeon, and Amneris can only mourn his love and blame the cruel priests for everything. And what about Aida? Aida quietly sneaked into the crypt and waited there for three days Radames to meet death with her lover. In this tragic light, if I may say so, the finale, the vital authenticity of the opera. The performance ends with a triumph of a sense of duty and the great power of love of the heroes, which does not retreat before any trials.

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Interesting Facts

• The fee that the composer demanded was indecently large - 30 thousand dollars. By that measure, this amount was about $ 200,000, if we translate into our time. Plus, he was entitled to payments for all performances of the play and released copies of the score.
• Part of the proceeds Verdi sent to the victims of the siege of Paris. He also built a hospital for peasants and a home for elderly musicians with full board in a few dozen years with money from opera productions.
• The premiere of "Aida" was held in Cairo in 1871 and its success was the greatest, it can rightly be called an international triumph.

• Contrary to popular belief, the opera was written to celebrate the opening of the Khediven opera, not the Suez Canal.
• D. Verdi did not attend the premiere in Cairo. The composer was very disappointed that the main audience were guest aristocrats, critics and politicians, and not ordinary people. According to him, this premiere should be considered a subsequent production in Italy, which left the author pleased.
• "Aida" was repeatedly filmed. The most famous picture of the Italian director Clemente Fracassi, shot in 1953 with Sophia Loren and Lois Maxwell in the lead roles. As in many other films, the actors moved their lips, and the viewer heard the synchronized recordings of real opera singers.
• Archaeologist O.E. Mariette was not only the author of the script, but also closely followed the work on the production, so that everything on the stage corresponded to the time of Ancient Egypt.
• Theresa of the role of "Aida", Theresa Stolz, was even accused of a novel with Giuseppe Verdi, but this fact was not proven. Meanwhile, they have repeatedly collaborated, because Verdi unusually liked her powerful, passionate and at the same time majestic soprano.

• Surprisingly, to this day, this performance does not descend from almost all world scenes. By the way, even I. Stalin himself preferred “Aida” among all the operas. Only in the Metropolitan Opera "Aida" was performed about 1,100 times.
• "Gala March" - the most famous number from the opera "Aida". This march is used throughout the world to greet football teams.

Popular arias and numbers

The romance of Radames from the first picture I d. "Honey Aida" (listen)

Ceremonial march (listen)

Duo of Aida and Radames "Forgive me, earth, forgive, orphanage of all sufferings" from the final picture (listen)

History of creation

It’s impossible not to fall in love with G. Verdi’s opera Aida. Amazing music pierces every cell of the body and penetrates the secret corner of the soul. Amazing but Verdiwhen in 1868 he received an order to compose a play for the new theater, built on the occasion of the opening of the Suez Canal, rejected it. Just imagine, because this masterpiece could not be! But curiosity got the upper hand and after two years Verdi, having familiarized himself with the plot, was so imbued with it that he decided to take up the order.

The script was written by the French Egyptologist O.E. Mariette, it is known that he took as a basis the legend that he decoded from the ancient papyrus. It was a time of the long struggle of Egypt against Ethiopia. Also, according to his drawings, costumes and even decorations were made. The libretto of the opera "Aida" belongs to the poet A. Gislanzoni. And the composer himself actively participated in the work on the plot, and also very carefully analyzed the entire history and culture of this great country. By the way, for the Milan premiere Verdi had to compose an overture separately. However, the composer himself was a very strict critic and rejected her. The overture remained in manuscript and was never performed. Instead, the opera opens a small, but unusually expressive introduction. In addition, for this premiere Verdi had to make several revisions and additions to the score. So, for his favorite singer T. Stolz, who sang the part of Aida, he specially composed the song “Oh, patria mia”, which sounds in III d.

Productions

The premiere of the opera "Aida" was successfully held on December 24, 1871 in Cairo, and exactly 46 days later in Milan. Since then, this performance was staged in many countries around the world. The long-awaited premiere in Russia was carried out in 1875 at the Petersburg Italian Opera, under the direction of conductor Bevignani. In 1877, viewers were able to get acquainted with this performance in Russian thanks to the staging at the Mariinsky Theater. The role of Aida was performed by Menshikov, Radames is Orlov. Nowadays, this performance goes on in this theater in an interesting interpretation, thanks to the directorial work of Daniel Finzi Pasca. In this statement, unusual scenery attracts attention - a special design of LED tubes hanging over the stage. With her, during the opera a light extravaganza unfolds. Despite the fact that the "Egyptian" color is absent, the fantastic costumes of Giovanna Buzzi fascinate and rivet all the attention of the audience.

Among the high-profile premieres of the opera, one can highlight the staging of D. Bertman in "Helikon Opera", there was presented a more camera version. The audience was shocked by the image of Aida - she wore a collar.

On Broadway in 2000, rock musical "Aida" was presented by Tim Rice and Elton John based on opera.

The sensational production of 2013 was remembered by many admirers of opera art, and the matter is not at all how gorgeous the public accepted the performance. On the contrary, virtually every scene was booed. It is about the premiere of the opera "Aida" in Paris, which was staged by Olivier Pi. He decided to mix everything in the play: ideas of patriotism, wars of the 20th century, theological problems, the Ku Klux Klan, totalitarianism. Because of this piling up on the stage was a complete mess. At the same time, the choir members in military clothing of the 19th century and the 20th century came out, immediately joined by people in the robes of Catholic priests. As a result of this, the long-awaited premiere, which the Parisians have been waiting for 45 years, failed miserably. Extras were done on the stage, with strange slogans “Aliens get out”, etc.

One of the most anticipated productions was carried out on April 11, 2014 by German director Peter Stein in Moscow, by the way, after that, he again turned to Aida, but in La Scala.

The historical premiere was held in August 2015 in Egypt. There was staged the opera "Aida" on the occasion of the grand opening of the channel of the Suez Canal, the total length of which was 72 km.

Opera "Aida" - this is a real masterpiece that has been widely loved by the public literally since its first production. The performance is included in the repertoire of almost every opera troupe. The secret of this lies in the tragic plot, telling about the great and gentlest love of the heroes, and the incredibly attractive, colorful music of the genius. G. Verdi. It is simply impossible not to fall in love with this work, it has such amazing power.

We are pleased to offer opera singers and a symphony orchestra to perform arias and excerpts from the opera "Aida" at your event.