Aida: Opera in Quattro Atti (Classic Reprint)

Black Dog Opera Library

by Giuseppe Verdi, Antonio Ghislanzoni

Excerpt from Aida

Se quel guerriero Io fossi! Se il mio sogno Si avverasse Un esercito di prodi Da me guidatoÂ… e la e il plauso Di Menfi tutta! E a te, mia dolce Aida, Tornar di lauri per te ho pugnato e per te ho vinto' Celeste Aida, forma divina, Mistico serto di luce e fior; Del mio pensiero tu sei regina, Tu di mia vita sei lo splendor. Il tuo bel cielo vorrei ridarti, Le dolci brezze del patrio suol; Un regal serto sul crin posarti Ergerti un trono vicino al sol.

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Childrens, Fiction, Africa, Egypt, Romance

62 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1871

About the author

Fullest artistic form of operas of Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer, included La Traviata in 1853, Aïda in 1871, and Otello in 1887; people credit him with raising the genre.

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi, mainly a Romantic, most influenced the 19th century. Houses frequently perform his works throughout the world, and some themes transcended the boundaries of the genre and long took root in popular culture:
* "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto
* "Va, pensiero" (The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from Nabucco , and
* "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" (The Drinking Song).

Masterworks of Giuseppe Verdi used a generally diatonic rather than a chromatic musical idiom, and people sometimes criticized tendency toward melodrama, which dominates the standard repertoire a century and a half.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book out loud to Simon. We just bought our tickets to a production of Aida that takes place in St Margarethen Quarry (roughly one hour by car south of Vienna) in August, so we are excited to learn about the story. We are also going to see a production of Aida at Chicago Lyric Opera House in March.

Leontyne Price moved me to tears as I read her words. You can feel her passion for Aida, her favorite opera. Price first performed Aida in San Francisco in 1957 and went on to perform this role in many famous opera houses in Europe and the Metropolitan Opera House in her home town of New York City.

In the note at the end of the book she writes that "Aida as a heroine - and Aida as an opera - has been meaningful, poignant, and personal for me." Later on she adds, "I always felt, while performing Aida, that I was expressing all of myself - as an American, as a woman, and as a human being."

The illustrations are marvelous also. From the dust jacket: Leo and Diane Dillon "met thirty years ago while in art school and have been working together ever since." Bearing in mind that this book was published in 1991, they must have been at art school in the 1960s. They are Caldecott Medalists and it shows.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stunning artwork (of course), lovely retelling of a powerful love story. Shades of Shakespearean themes! Rated only three stars as simply a reflection of my personal enjoyment, as I'm not into motifs of war, politics, impossible romances.... Age 8 up.

[Huda Aweys · Rating 3 out of 5]

أوبرا عايدة .. لحن المجد و ملحمة الحب و الحرب
،،
في أوبرا عايدة لفت نظري سيناريو شخصية (آمنريس) .. أو الأميرة الربة .. تجسيد إيزيس على الأرض ، اللي احترامهم و تبجيلهم لها و لرمزيتها ، لم يمنعهم في تلك الأوبرا و بتأثير من خلفيتهم الأوروبية النهضوية التنويرية ، من تصويرها كربة حمقاء من أرباب الأولمب ، بتلقي باللعنات و الأحكام الظالمة على البشر .. و تعود فتندم على ما فعلته بعد فوات الأوان !

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning retelling of the classic opera. (And who's surprised with Leo and Diane Dillon's glowing illustrations?) I was already somewhat familiar with the story of Aïda, but I was especially pleased with how well this version simplifies the storyline and characters enough that children could follow along easily, without "dumbing down" the sad or hard parts of the story. Price allows the story its difficulties, which keeps it straightforward but beautifully moving. The author's note at the end made me curious to hear more of the opera, so I found this gorgeous aria as sung by Leontyne Price herself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTuvi... It's easy to see why she was so moved by the character and wanted to share that with even more people.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second ENO Opera Guide, and this time for my absolute favourite; Aida was my opening to Opera, I had no interest in it at all before a chance invitation to a production by Opera North just blew me away and everything fell into place.

This guide gives the same overview of the Opera, and what the music is doing within it, that I earlier read in Tristan and Isolde. This time I had the opera playing in the background (quite loud - sorry neighbours) and all the tiny intricacies started to filter through; things I had never heard before despite many listens. This is where these guides are so good - I'm not a musician but the language and writing helps to explain complexities and subtleties without overpowering the reader. A fascinating potted history on the writing of the opera gives a nice little bonus too.

Highly recommended series.

[Sarah Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite stories.

[Hadrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

6,5/10

[Recensioni in tre parole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maestoso. Sontuoso. Sospeso.

[Javier Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in New York for my yearly opera marathon, six operas in five days. Let the tears begin! This one has the perfect death for lovers. The enamored pair is entombed alive and die, in each other's arms, singing of the eternal joy awaiting them in a Paradise that is imminent. Death can be beautiful! I love it!

[Spook Sulek · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first picture books I bought for my personal collection. I adore Leontyne Price, and the illustrations are pure delight. Beautifully told.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm on an opera kick - hubs and I are going to Palm Beach to see "Turandot" soon, and I read the lovely children's book that accompanied it by Marianna Mayer, and I wondered to myself - are there more opera adaptations for children? I did some research, and "Aida" popped up, written by the songstress herself, Leontyne Price (P. Craig Russell's Opera Adaptations also popped up, but "Aida" was more affordable! Goodness!) I'm so happy my wallet and I went with this. Not only are the illustrations vivid and ethereal, with tribal patterns and rich colors emblazoned on each page, but the story brought me to tears with its simplicity and sacrifice. Having it told by the woman who made the performance famous is just icing on the literary cake. What a treat!

[Kristen Quinlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a beautiful and almost theatrical display, this book tells the operatic story of a young Ethiopian princess, love, and loyalty. The pictures are vibrant and picturesque of what a dramatic theater presentation might look like, as well as providing small accompanying pictures that help move the story along on each page of text. The book is beautifully created with marbling and very realistic and ornate details of the setting. This would be a great book for the inclusion of princess stories of diverse peoples, as well as cross-curricular studies in subjects like geography that include Egypt and Ethiopia.
One of the things I appreciated most about the illustrations is the representation of natural hair and how well it is depicted in the princess' hair.

[Lauren Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up with this book as a child when it first came out. It was sumptuous and vivid and the way it brought the story to life left an indelible mark on me. Everything about the imagery is beautiful and the story is, of course, an adventure in itself. It recently crossed my mind because I came across a Leontyne Price video and memories came rushing back. Candidly, as a Black American girl, this book did so much for seeing myself and people that looked like that in such beautiful ways, then learning about Ms. Price taught me some history AND helped me grow an appreciation for opera and classical. 10/10

[Mandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winner of the 1991 Coretta Scott King Award for illustrations. It's easy to see why this received that, and other, awards. Leo and Diane Dillon's illustrations are fabulous. I was not familiar with the story of Aida, not having a lot of experience with opera, but I found the story to be both beautiful and tragic. After reading this story, I had to do a little research on Leontyne Price, the author. What a fascinating and talented lady.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to my oldest child as a baby and it was then that I first read it. I read it today in preparation for seeing Aida the opera for the first time.

As with my first reading, I was again struck by the stunning illustrations of Leo and Diane Dillon. Combining that most fabulous art with Leontyne Price's retelling of this classic love story is nothing short of fabulous.

[Isaiah El-Hashr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been mentally begging to see the original opera ever since reading this story; it is the ancient-world-lover’s ideal version of ‘Romeo & Juliette’. The emotion that the narrative evokes as well at the stunning, original art complementing it are worthy of renown. This work took me to a magical place, and—especially as an adult man—I yearn for more that have a similar affect on me.

[Janae Lovely · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7/5

Read pieces of this years ago in my 4th grade reading comprehension book and searched years for it afterwards. Finally found it this year!

I completely understand why it stood out in my mind then and so many years afterwards—-the artwork is soo gorgeous and the story is beautifully tragic. (Also I just loved the feature of a kind/gentle dark skin princess)

[Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art gets a 5, the story gets a 2. The plot itself is very intriguing but the story is rushed and it brushes over important parts while spending time on unnecessary details. The paintings are stunning however, and make up for the lack in story.

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautifully illustrated children’s books 👌🏻 I always think of this book when I see Nancy Spero’s mosaic Diva in the 66th street station at Lincoln Center in NYC. This was one of the first books I added to my collection of illustrated children’s books.

[Simon Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book with the moving love story of the Ethiopian Royal Princess, Aida.
The book is beautifully illustrated by two noted illustrators, Leo and Diane Dillon.
If you're planning on visiting the opera, this book is a must read before you go!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the music way more than I like the story of this opera. ;)

[Maya Pozzolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous and well written! Finally remembers the title of this book! I'll be purchasing it in the near future! Loved this one as a child.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeously illustrated story of Verdi's classic opera "Aida."

[Amy Hay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was two pages of sheet music, not a book as described by Amazon.

[Annalise Kraines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking illustrations. Also I just really love this story a lot.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic, tragic, beautiful. The illustrations by the dynamic duo of Leo & Diane Dillon raise the stakes in this timeless drama.

[Daphne Mulner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous artwork, beautifully and simply told by a one of the great American opera sopranos.

[Sara Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous art.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEAUTIFUL book!!!

[Necdet Yücel · Rating 4 out of 5]

opera çok güzel ama kitabın son okuması iyi yapılmamış