Aida
Aida is an 1871 opera by Giuseppe Verdi, set in ancient Egypt. Its intimate conflicts unfold amid ceremonial scenes and large-scale spectacle.
Aida (character): An Ethiopian princess enslaved in Egypt who loves the Egyptian commander Radamès. Her hidden identity and divided loyalties drive the opera’s central conflict.
Triumphal March (Aida): A celebrated orchestral march from Aida’s second act, accompanying the Egyptian army’s victorious return. Its brass and percussion embody the spectacle that contrasts with the lovers’ private tragedy.
Giuseppe Verdi: An Italian composer whose operas include Rigoletto, La traviata, and Aida. He composed Aida and shaped its drama, vocal writing, and orchestral design.
Aida (premiere): The first performance of Verdi’s Aida, held in Cairo on December 24, 1871. The premiere fulfilled the Egyptian commission after delays caused by the Franco-Prussian War.
Aida (musical): A Broadway musical by Elton John, Tim Rice, and Linda Woolverton, based on Verdi’s opera. Its late-twentieth-century adaptation recasts the ancient story for musical theatre.
Radamès: An Egyptian military commander who loves Aida while serving the state that holds her captive. His love for Aida collides with his military duty and public condemnation.
Celeste Aida: Radamès’s opening-act aria, in which he imagines victory and a future with Aida. Its lyrical idealism establishes his desires before the plot forces them into conflict.
Antonio Ghislanzoni: An Italian poet and librettist who wrote the libretto for Verdi’s Aida. His libretto turns a plot outline into the opera’s four-act dramatic structure.
Teatro alla Scala: An opera house in Milan, opened in 1778 and among the world’s leading opera venues. Aida’s Italian premiere took place there in February 1872.
Aida (character in popular culture): The opera’s Ethiopian princess as represented in adaptations, performances, and popular culture. Her image and story have often been shaped by the opera’s visual conventions.