At The Opera, Verdi: Aida, June 16, 2018
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Aida is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in Egypt, it was commissioned by and first performed at Cairo's Khedivial Opera House on December 24, 1871.
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.
Isma'il Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, commissioned Verdi to write an opera for performance to celebrate the opening of the Khedivial Opera House, paying him 150,000 francs, but the premiere was delayed because of the Siege of Paris (1870–71), during the Franco-Prussian War, when the scenery and costumes were stuck in the French capital, and Verdi's Rigoletto was performed instead. Aida eventually premiered in Cairo in late 1871. Contrary to popular belief, the opera was not written to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
Cast:
Aida – Caterina Mancini
Radames – Mario Filippeschi
Amneris – Giulietta Simionato
Amonasro – Rolando Panerai
Ramfis – Giulio Neri
Orchestra and Chorus of Rome RAI
Vittorio Gui – conductor
Cetra - 1951
8:00 p.m.
Pietro Mascagni
Cavalleria rusticana, opera Intemezzo
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony; Ondrej Lenard, conductor
8:18 p.m.
Orchestra Sinfonica E Coro Di Roma Della RAI
Verdi
Aida
Orchestra Sinfonica E Coro Di Roma Della RAI; Vittorio Gui, conductor
11:18 p.m.
Mario Lanza
Verdi, Puccini
Rare Mario Lanza recordings - out of print archives
various; Ray Sinatra Contantine Calliancos, conductor Mario Laza and others