- Verdi composed Aïda in 1870 for the opening of the Cairo Opera House.
- The opera’s premiere was delayed until late 1871 by the Franco-Prussian War: all of the show’s costumes and sets were trapped in Paris when that city was laid under siege. The opera’s premiere finally took place on December 24, 1871.
- The author of the scenario for Aïda was French archeologist and Egyptologist Auguste Mariette Mariette set his fictional story in ancient Egypt.
- Verdi’s friend, impresario Camille du Locle, brought the Aïda scenario to Verdi’s attention. Verdi had been looking for a suitable subject for an opera for some time during the 1860s, and had rejected multiple suggestions from du Locle until they fixed on Aïda.
- Verdi handpicked Antonio Ghislanzoni to create the libretto for Aïda. Ghislanzoni had previously worked with Verdi on a revision of La forza del Destino in 1869.1
- Synopsis from The Metropolitan Opera
Sources
- Roger Parker, “Aida,” Grove Music Online (2002), accessed May 25, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-5000900061.
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