Nonetheless, Verdi was eager for a new project, and one was close at hand. He had already received an invitation from the Khedive of Egypt to compose an ode in honor of the opening of a new opera house in Cairo as part of the official inauguration of the Suez Canal( it was opened in 1869). While he declined the offer, the Egyptians remained optimistic, and did enjoy on that occasion a performance of Rigoletto, conducted by Claudio Muzio. Remarkably, the hoped-for new work was actually proposed by an archeologist and Egyptologist, Auguste Mariette, who had already written a scenario for an opera, which he had derived from his research in the tombs of the pharaohs. Mariette sent the outline to Camille du Locle, a theatre manager and librettist, who summarized it and sent it to Verdi. The composer was very pleased, indeed:“ I have read the Egyptian outline. It is well done; it offers a splendid miseen-scène, and there are two or three situations which, if not very new, are certainly very beautiful.” Antonio Ghislanzoni was engaged to write the libretto in Italian.
It was Verdi’ s practice not to work with his librettists in person, rather through letters, the vast number, fortunately, preserved. The Aida correspondence reveals that Verdi, perhaps more than usual, criticized Ghislanzoni’ s verses and instructed him to make numerous changes, small and frequently important. For example, in his letter of 12 November 1870, Verdi told Ghislanzoni to avoid trite language, such as“ Io manco [ I’ m fading ]” or“ Io morto [ I’ m dying ],” in the tomb scene. He wanted“ something sweet, ethereal, a very brief duet, a farewell to life.” What materialized, of course, is the exquisite“ O terra addio.”
The premiere was set for Cairo in January of 1871. Even though Verdi completed the score ahead of schedule, the performance was delayed for 11 months, because of the Franco- Prussian War( which ended on 10 May 1871). But the composer never did get to Cairo and the premiere was conducted by virtuoso bassist Giovanni Bottesini on 24 December 1871.
What Verdi did do during this time was devote his energies to the Italian premiere of Aida, which took place on 8 February 1872 at La Scala in Milan, conducted by Franco Faccio( who conducted the premiere of Otello in 1887). Verdi took an authoritative role in the production, choosing the conductor and even the size of the timpani. He also insisted on a new arrangement for the opera orchestra, in which the brass were moved as far away from the audience as possible, and the conductor placed( for the first time in Italy) in a“ modern position,” facing the musicians( instead of being surrounded by them). The new arrangement would accommodate an orchestra expanded by bass clarinet, English horn, two harps, triangle, cymbals, tam-tam, and bass drum, as well as the many onstage musicians for the“ Triumphal Scene,” including six“ Egyptian” trumpets( instruments with lengthy tubing and wide bells, ordered especially for the work), four standard trumpets, four trombones, and a bass drum.
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The dramatic platform for Aida is a series of oppositions, generating from a war between Egypt and Ethiopia, and played out emotionally in the conflict between freedom and slavery and love and duty. The music mirrors these polarities, beginning with a brief prelude comprising two main themes: first a muted chromatic melody that evades the downbeat as it glides across bar lines: this is the secret world of the lovers, sensual, intimate, and hidden. The second theme is also heard softly at first, but its diatonic counterpoint, a walking bass and steady rhythm, speak definitively for strength, inevitability, and authority: here now is the royal court with its hierarchy of nobility, military, priests, priestesses, and slaves.
The curtain rises as the marching theme of the prelude continues into a strategic conversation between Radamès and Ramfis. Left alone, Radamès entertains visions of military glory, as brass fanfares capture the mood. But he soon drifts into a reverie about Aida, the romanza,“ Celeste Aida,” introduced by shimmering strings and solo flute. Amneris interrupts his idyll, and the scene grows from solo to duet, to trio, and finally, to the King’ s entrance and declaration of war. Amneris hails Radamès, as he departs to assemble his army:“ Ritorna vincitor!” The exclamation is exemplary of what Verdi called the“ parola scenica” [ the theatrical or scene-defining word ]. The assembly exits, as Aida repeats the phrase—“ Ritorna vincitor!”— this time with bitterness and sadness: she can neither cheer for Radamès’ victory nor celebrate his defeat. She must pray for her homeland and her father, the king of Ethiopia. Act I ends with the extraordinary Consecration Scene, which Verdi detailed in his letter of 22 August 1870, to Ghislanzoni:
“ The piece would consist of a litany intoned by the priestesses,
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