Line #15 Theatre/AidaVerdi


1	[[quoteright:347:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/720f9bbc0b0055e3359d243155545db1_4.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:347:A vintage poster for a performance at the Teatro la Fenice.]]
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4	''Aida'' is a four-act opera by Music/{{Giuseppe Verdi}}, with a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in UsefulNotes/AncientEgypt and known for being a grand spectacle, it's since become a popular staple of the operatic canon and receives performances every year around the world.
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6	Radames, an officer in the Egyptian army, wants to become the commander of the invasion of Nubia, so that he may request to marry his beloved Aida, a slave of the pharaoh's daughter Amneris. He doesn't know that Amneris is in love with him, or that Aida is the daughter of the Ethiopian king. Suspecting something between them, Amneris deceives Aida into revealing her love for Radames by claiming he died in the campaign against Ethiopia. Radames gets his wish and defeats Ethiopia, bringing in many hostages, including Aida's father. Seeing Aida's anguish, Radames uses up his one wish from the pharaoh to free the Ethiopian slaves instead of asking for Aida's hand, and the pharaoh publicly engages him to Amneris.
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8	While attempting to meet Radames at a temple before the wedding proceeds, Aida is blackmailed by her father to get Radames to reveal where the Egyptian army will be passing through on its way to defeat the rebelling Ethiopians. Aida convinces Radames to run away with her and he tells her the secret of the army's route. [[IdiotBall Aida's father chooses that moment to spring out of the bushes, announce that that's where they'll attack the Egyptians and reveal to Radames]] exactly who he is. Horrified, Radames refuses the chance to rule Nubia with Aida and surrenders to Amneris and the priests, who catch him as Aida and her father flee. He is condemned to be BuriedAlive, but Aida sneaks into his tomb before it gets sealed, since she [[TearJerker cannot choose between her love and her homeland]]. The curtain falls as she dies in Radames' arms.
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10	''Aida'' was commissioned by Isma'il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt, to celebrate the opening of the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo (now the Cairo Opera House). However, the premiere ended up delayed due to the Siege of Paris during the ongoing UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar, as the scenery and costumes were stuck in the French capital. Instead, Verdi's ''Theatre/{{Rigoletto}}'' was performed on November 1st, 1869. ''Aida'' would have its premiere on December 24th, 1871, and since then, it has become one of the most popular operas around the world.
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12	Not to be confused with Elton John and Tim Rice's Broadway [[Theatre/AidaJohnRice musical of the same name]], although the opera did serve as the musical's inspiration.
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14	!!Tropes:
15	* AbusiveParents: Amonasro's method of persuading Aida to get Radames to betray his strategy, namely savagely ranting that Ethiopia (including Aida's family and friends) would otherwise die if Aida does not do so, comes across as emotional abuse. She reluctantly agrees.
16	* AltoVillainess: Amneris is usually sung by a mezzo-soprano or a contralto.
17	* AncientEgypt: The main setting, of course. Though the exact time period is difficult to specify, many productions set the opera during the Old Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt. The fact that the Pharaoh's palace is located in Memphis also seems to be a reason why.
18	* ArrangedMarriage: Amneris and Radames, to the former's delight.
19	* BlackGalOnWhiteGuyDrama: While the racial difference isn't mentioned often, it's [[ShowDontTell implied]] that this is the major reason why Aida and Radames' relationship is forbidden.
20	* BuriedAlive: Radames and Aida's fate.
21	* ClingyJealousGirl: Amneris, ''big time''. In Act IV, when Aida goes missing, Radames even accuses Amneris of pulling a MurderTheHypotenuse. [[spoiler: Amneris didn’t, and Aida later joins Radames in the tomb, but he had reason to believe that Amneris might have killed her rival]]
22	* CoolCrown: Amneris and the King of Egypt often wear these.
23	* CostumePorn: [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZM8Udf-_YJ4/ULUy4V9TS1I/AAAAAAAAHsI/qOxDKlj53Fo/s1600/aidagirls.jpg Many]] [[https://www.metopera.org/globalassets/mood/mood-cta-blocks/811357016190_500x500.jpg traditional]] [[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ab3f3177c932708db75266d/5ab43a55562fa77d17383147/5ab43a5570a6ad6a9cb17ca6/1527737787343/Sarasota_Opera_Aida-1-25-16-105.JPG?format=500w productions]] will have [[http://www.stagewhispers.com.au/sites/default/files/imagecache/lightbox/reviews/Opera%20Australia%27s%20%27Aida%27%20SW12%20Milijana%20Nikolic%20as%20Amneris%20and%20Latonia%20Moore%20as%20Aida%20%C2%A9Branco%20Gaica%2014.7.2012%28272%29.jpeg plenty]] [[https://bachtrack.com/files/48646-aida-ekaterina-gubanova-c-met-opera-marty-sohl-resized.jpg of]] [[https://www.metopera.org/globalassets/season/2018-19/operas/aida/785x590/785x590_aida.jpg these]] [[https://www.operademontreal.com/sites/default/files/galleries/_yrc1642_0.jpg kinds]] [[https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-crgqA5JNcC8/VwmxRi-CWfI/AAAAAAAACmk/wqPPF1YtfmoYg6ZCId41vg0dUPYiZUsSA/s1600/4.%2BThe%2BTriumphal%2BMarch%2Bin%2BSarasota%2BOpera%2527s%2Bproduction%2Bof%2BVerdi%2527s%2BAIDA.%2BPhoto%2Bby%2BRod%2BMillington.jpg of]] [[http://www.vancouversun.com/cms/binary/6474074.jpg costumes]]. It's Ancient Egypt, after all.
24	* CrowdSong: "Gloria all'Egitto”
25	* DiedInYourArmsTonight: Aïda dies in Radames’ arms at the end of the opera.
26	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Ramphis is a fanatical priest with political power, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical and he is the main antagonist]].
27	* Myth/{{Egyptian Mythology}}: The Egyptian gods are often mentioned throughout the opera.
28	* EvilSoundsDeep: The morally ambiguous Amonasro is a baritone, and SinisterMinister Ramfis is a bass.
29	* EyeOfHorusMeansEgypt: A given in many traditional productions, of course.
30	* FinalLoveDuet: "O terra addio"
31	* InconsistentSpelling: In the early 20th century, English-language programs spelled Aida as "Aïda," Radamès as "Rhadames," and Ramfis as "Ramphis."
32	* InnocentSoprano: Aida has shades of this, since she is a good-hearted character sung by a soprano, is performed by a spinto soprano (light heavyweight) or dramatic soprano (heavyweight), neither of which sound "girlish" but powerful and heavy with emotion, more suited for a damsel in distress, since she has endured too much to be innocent or naïve.
33	* IWantSong: "Celeste Aida" is basically Radames' love song for Aida.
34	* {{Leitmotif}}: The prelude introduces two motifs that reoccur several times in the opera: Aida's [[InnocentSoprano innocent-sounding]] theme, and a grim motif for [[SinisterMinister the priests]] who will end up crushing her and her lover.
35	* LoveAcrossBattlelines: Radames and Aida, obviously.
36	* LoveTriangle: Aida, Radames and Amneris.
37	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: As Ramphis and the priests accuse Radames of treason and sentence him to death, Amneris cries out that it was her jealousy that killed him. By the final scene, she is dressed in mourning, above the tomb where Radames is concealed, and prays for his safe journey to the afterlife, [[DramaticIrony little knowing that Aida, her rival, is dying with Radames]].
38	* RapePillageAndBurn: According to Amonasro, the Egyptian soldiers put the Ethiopian cities to the sack, kidnapped young women, and killed numerous civilians.
39	* RoyalBlood: Aida, which she manages to keep a secret while she is in captivity under Amneris.
40	* SadisticChoice: Played with. As Radames leads the troops off to do battle with the troops of Ethiopia, led by King Amonasro (Aida's own father), Aida is distraught since she is torn between her love for her father and homeland and her love for Radames. In "Ritorna vincitor!", she begs the gods for mercy in this agonizing choice.
41	* ScaryBlackMan: Amonasro
42	* SceneryPorn: Again, [[https://www.metopera.org/globalassets/season/2018-19/operas/aida/1600x685/1600x685_aida.jpg traditional]] [[http://brooklyndiscovery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/3.-Act-II-of-Verdis-AIDA-at-Sarasota-Opera_Photo-by-Rod-Millington.jpg productions]] will have some very [[https://www.italymagazine.com/sites/mainfiles/Aida-1-c-La-Scalas.jpg gaudy]], [[http://static.teatroallascala.org/static/upload/aid/aida5.jpg lavish]] sets of an Ancient Egyptian kingdom.
43	** Yet, even those settings [[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Aida1908.01.01.jpg pale]] [[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Aida1908.01.02.cast.jpg in]][[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Aida1908.02.01.jpg comparison]] [[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Aida1908.02.03.jpg to]] [[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Aida1908.03.jpg those]] [[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Aida1908.04.01.jpg from]] [[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Aida1908.04.02.jpg the early 1900s]]!
44	* SettingUpdate:
45	** Quite a few modern productions update the setting from Ancient Egypt to unspecified war-torn, vaguely Middle Eastern countries in the 20th or 21st centuries.
46	** ''My Darlin' Aida'', an unsuccessful 1952 [[TheMusical Broadway musical]], used Verdi's original music but rewrote the libretto to take place in Memphis, Tennessee during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, where Radames becomes "Raymond Demarest," a Confederate officer trying to put down a slave rebellion led by Aida's father.
47	* SinisterMinister: Ramfis, a priest with political power who accuses Radames of treason and has him BuriedAlive.
48	* SongOfPrayer: "Immenso Ftha", where the priest's chorus led by a priestess sings praises to the god Ptah. It has a DarkReprise in the end of the opera, where Radames and Aida hear it after they are entombed alive.
49	* StarCrossedLovers: Aida and Radames, of course.
50	* TenorBoy: Radames has shades of this, but he is sung by a dramatic tenor, whose voice is typically not at all "boyish." He's of an age to be commander of the Egyptian army, so he can't be too young.

Context Theatre / AidaVerdi