Aida
Music by Giuseppe Verdi · libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni · premiered 1871 · at Egyptian Royal Opera House
Aida (or Aïda, Italian: [aˈiːda]) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December 1871, in a performance conducted by Giovanni Bottesini. Today the work holds a central place in the operatic canon, receiving performances every year around the world. At New York's Metropolitan Opera alone, Aida has been sung more than 1,100 times since 1886. Ghislanzoni's scheme follows a scenario often attributed to the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, but Verdi biographer Mary Jane Phillips-Matz argues that the source is actually Temistocle Solera.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Aida", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
About the Composer
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( VAIR-dee, Italian: [dʒuˈzɛppe ˈverdi]; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the modern province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the help of a local patron named Antonio Barezzi. Verdi came to dominate the Italian opera scene after the era of Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, and Gaetano Donizetti, whose works significantly influenced him. He was also strongly influenced by the French Grand opera style, particularly Giacomo Meyerbeer and Gaspare Spontini. In his early operas, Verdi demonstrated sympathy with the…
Text from the Wikipedia article "Giuseppe Verdi", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Other Operas by Giuseppe Verdi
- Alzira (1736)
- Giovanna d'Arco (1801)
- Attila (1809)
- I due Foscari (1821)
- Ernani (1830)
- Il trovatore (1836)
- I Lombardi alla prima crociata (1843)
- I masnadieri (1845)