The Standard-Operaglass; Containing the Detailed Plots of One Hundred and Thirty Four Celebrated Operas with Critical and Biographical Remarks, Dates, &C (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: AID A. Grand romantic Opera in four acts by GIUSEPPE VERDI. i Tfcxt by ANTONIO GHISLANZONL Translated into German by S. SCHANZ. English version by KENNEY. ....., This opera owes its great popularity not only to its brilliant music and skilful instrumentation, but--also to. its really magnificent outfit and decorations, . Ai'da ranks among the best operas of Verdi. The .plot is taken from old Egypt; and the music; with its eastern and somewhat sensuous coloring is exquisitely adapted to the scenery. -, ' The scene of action is alternately Memphis and Thebes and the story belongs to the period when the Pharaohs sat on the throne. In the first act we see the King's palace at Memphis. Rarnphis, the Highpriest of Pharaoh announces to the Egyptian General Radames, that the Ethiopians are in revolt and that the goddess Isis has decided who shall be leader of the army sent out against them. Radames secretly hopes to be the elected, in order to win the Ethiopian slave Ai'da, whom he loves, not knowing that she is a King's daughter. Enter Amneris, daughter of Pharaoh. She loves Radames without his knowledge and so does Ai'da. Amneris, suspecting this, swears to avenge herself, should her suspicion prove correct. The King's messenger announces, that Amo- nasro, the Ethiopian King (Ai'da's father), is marching to the capital, and that Radames is chosen to conquer the foe. Radames goes to the templeto invoke the benediction of the goddess and to receive the sacred arms. In the second act Amneris, in order to test Ai'da's feelings, tells her, that Radames fell in battle, and finds her doubts confirmed by Ai'da's terror. Amneris openly threatens her rival, and both hasten to receive the soldiers, who return victorious. In Radames' suite walks King Amo- nasro, who has been taken..