| se who love opera or have heard anything about it | | | | vocal tones to keep harmony and beauty in the voices |
| before, chances are youve come across or heard of | | | | of the characters. The King of Egypt and Ramphis the |
| Aida before. Whether you love it or hate it, Aida | | | | High Priest are both bass voices. Tenors include the |
| demands respect of its listeners for several reasons. It | | | | Messenger and Rhadames the Captain of the Guard. |
| is important to know a little bit about it before you | | | | The main character Aida, who is an Ethiopian slave in |
| commit to seeing it in person or via DVD or video | | | | the opera is the only major character with a soprano |
| because operas can often be very confusing if one | | | | voice. There is one baritone, Amonasro who is King of |
| has no idea what the general story is about or who is | | | | Ethiopia and the father of Aida, and one contralto, |
| going to do what. Knowing as much as you can about | | | | Amneris, daughter of the King of Egypt. There are |
| several aspects of Aida will better help you appreciate | | | | also several smaller roles including other Ethiopian |
| its beauty and worth as you watch it for the first time. | | | | slaves, Egyptians, soldiers, priests, and prisoners. All of |
| Overview | | | | these characters are vitally important to the story and |
| Aida is an opera that is played in both French and | | | | the sound of the opera, and great care is usually taken |
| Italian, and was originally conducted by Guiseppe Verdi. | | | | to cast it. |
| This opera is done in four acts. The plot was written | | | | General Plot |
| by Mariette Bey, and has been written in the two | | | | The plot of Aida by Verdi is actually quite simple, which |
| languages; French by Camille de Locle and Italian by | | | | is usually the case in grand operas where the voices |
| Antonio Ghislanzoni. It was originally produced in Cairo, | | | | and music overpowers the plot anyway. Aida and |
| Egypt in 1871 on December 24 and has become a | | | | Radames, and Egyptian General, are in love, but |
| classical opera that has been performed all over the | | | | secretly because Aida is an Ethopian slave and |
| world, in places like New York (1873), Milan (1872), Paris | | | | captive. The opera offers several different mechanics |
| (1876), London (1876) and Caruso (1904). | | | | of plot and events that eventually lead to Radames is |
| Characters/Setting | | | | sentenced to death, with the medium of death being |
| Aida by Verdi is an opera set in Ancient Egypt in the | | | | entombed alive. Aida, desperate to be with him in life |
| cities of Thebes and Memphis. It is set in the time of | | | | or death, puts herself in the tomb before he gets there |
| the epoch of the Pharaohs, and has a very specific | | | | to die with him. The opera is considered to be a |
| Egyptian plot and themes to help the audience better | | | | tragedy, and the plot is very interesting, to say the |
| get a feel for the time period and setting. | | | | least. |
| All of the characters of Aida by Verdi are of different | | | | |