Atlas
The picture shows stills from Verdi's opera Aida in Cairo.
Under the canopy, the stars shine brightly, and pyramids and sphinxes loom. Not far away, the makeshift theater is a lively scene: the theater with a capacity of 5,000 people is full, the stage is dreamlike, the towering palace, the majestic colonnade, the magnificent city wall, the shocking orchestral performance, the high-pitched and melodious aria, the majestic chorus... All vividly show the classic charm.
This is the scene of the famous opera "Aida" performed in Egypt not long ago. In a sense, "Aida" can be called the Egyptian version of "Romeo and Juliet", and it is also similar to the Chinese household name "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai".
The eternal theme of ancient stories
Love, death and war are the three eternal themes in the history of human literature. Aida, which happens to be a clever blend of these themes, is not only a lingering love story, but also a masterpiece full of tension and reflecting the conflict of human nature, telling an important stage in Egyptian history, while also alluding to the political turmoil and trauma caused by wars around the world.
The story takes place in the time of the pharaohs, a period of frequent wars. The Egyptian officers Radames and Aida are lovers in love. Aida, an unidentified Ethiopian princess, was captured as a slave girl of the Egyptian princess Amneris because of Ethiopia's failed engagement with Egypt. When the war broke out again, Radames was ordered to lead an army against the Ethiopian king Amnaslo, who was full of ambition, hoping that after the victory, he would be able to exchange Aida's freedom. Aida in the rear is worried about her lover on the one hand, and on the other hand, she is concerned about the motherland, misses her father, and struggles in contradictions all day long.
Radames triumphed and captured Amnaslo. The Egyptian pharaoh was overjoyed and decided to betroth to him amnes, the princess who had admired Radames. Aida pleaded with Radames to release his father, who had become a prisoner, and fled with him. The jealous Amneris denounced Radames, and Pharaoh ordered him to be sealed to death in the pyramid grotto for treason. Aida, who could have escaped, heard the news and resolutely decided to take the lead in entering the grotto and dying with her sweetheart. Radames tried to let Aida out and pushed the stone door hard, but the stone door did not move. Aida sang poignantly, "Valley of tears, short dreams." Goodbye, in the golden clouds, a new sky appears, we are the sun, radiant, shining brightly. Radames sang with her, and the two snuggled up closely. Eventually, the couple feathered in happiness and tranquility. This scene pushed the rich tragic atmosphere of this opera to a climax, which deeply infected every audience.
A diverse expression of local style
The opera Aida is revered as a gem in Egypt and premiered on December 24, 1871 at the Governor's Opera House in Cairo, with great success. Ismail Pasha, the governor of Egypt at the time, was so passionate about European culture that he decided to create an opera to commemorate the completion of the Suez Canal and the Cairo Opera House. So he invited the French egyptologist Auguste Mariet to compose the opera script based on archaeological excavations. Later, the Governor of Egypt, paid 150,000 francs, invited the Italian composer Verdi to compose the opera.
Interestingly, although "Aida" tells the historical story of ancient Egypt, interweaving a variety of Egyptian melodies, and full of local history, music and customs, it is based on Western opera as a form of expression. This slightly bizarre combination produced a wonderful "chemistry" that fit the multicultural trend, so much so that Aida has endured for nearly 150 years since its inception, becoming a popular opera classic, touring thousands of times around the world.
In the context of the cruel war, the protagonists have to accept the mercy of fate, struggle between rich love and heavy responsibility, sometimes involuntarily, sometimes choose dilemmas, sometimes love and hate entanglement, sometimes life and death conflicts, and finally Aida chooses to be martyred.
As the storyline unfolds up and down, the audience seems to travel through time and space to ancient Egypt thousands of years ago, witnessing the joys and sorrows of that distant era. Their emotions unconsciously resonate with the protagonist, until the end of the opera, everyone suddenly woke up from this mysterious dream, looking at the silent sphinx and the shadow of the pyramid black fish in the night, for a moment.
In addition to the holy love itself gives people a strong emotional resonance, so that the audience sighs for the protagonist's sacred love, the thick historical background, the exquisite stage design, the singing performance of the three days around the beam, the rich exotic style, the torture of human nature by war, the confrontation between desert and water... These were the key factors in the success of Aida. Verdi gave the play a strong drama, blending the music with the ups and downs of the plot. Among them, the "Triumphal March" in the second act has become a representative paragraph of the play because of its magnificent stage scenes and deafening musical effects. At the same time, the agitated chorus "Glory Belongs to Egypt" is more classic; Radames's aria "Holy Aida" and Aida's aria "Wish You a Victorious Return" and "The Blue Sky of the Motherland" are immortal masterpieces.
Cultural business card travel expectations
All sectors of Egyptian society have great enthusiasm and expectations for "Aida" to return to "Mother's Home". Tourism has long been regarded as an indispensable "bread and butter" in Egypt, as one of the pillar industries of its economy, tourism accounts for 12% of Egypt's GDP, the contribution rate of foreign exchange earnings exceeds 14%, and Egyptians engaged in tourism account for 12.6% of the country's working population. But since Egypt was plunged into political turmoil in 2011, the threat of persistent terrorist attacks and a series of civil aviation accidents have plunged Egypt's tourism industry into a cold winter, a bustling tourist attraction. The revitalization of tourism is a goal that the Egyptian government has been working towards in recent years.
The story of "Aida" reflects the tragedy caused by the war and triggers people's yearning for peace and love. The Egyptian side put "Aida" in front of the pyramid to stage, is to try to use the superposition effect of "Aida" and the pyramid of the two cultural business cards, loudly signal to the world: the current situation in Egypt is stable and controllable, strange flowers bloom, Aida are flying back after 10 years of violation, tourists can also slowly return! Huang Peizhao
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