Verdi: Opera [Aida] Complete [SACD Hybrid]

[Machine Translation]

[Contents]
Giuseppe Verdi: Opera *Aida*
A four-act opera

Disc 1
[1] Prelude

Act I

Scene I

[2] Yes, rumor has it that the Ethiopian dares (Ramfis, Radames)

[3] If only I were that warrior!...Celeste Aida (Radames)

[4] What an unusual joy (Amneris, Radames, Aida)

[5] A noble cause brings you together (The King, Messenger, Radames, Aida, Amneris, Ramfis, Ministers and Captains, Priests)

[6] He returns victorious! (Aida)

Scene II

[7] Mighty Ftha (Priestess, with the Chorus of Priestesses, Ramfis, and Priests)

[8] Mortal, beloved of the gods (Ramfis, Priests, Radames, Priestesses)

Act II

Scene I

[9] Who among the hymns and applause (Slaves, Amneris)

[10] Was the fate of war so fatal to you (Amneris, Aida)

[11] Come! To the sacred banks of the Nile (Chorus, Amneris, Aida)

Scene II

[12] Glory to Egypt (The People, Women, Priests)

[13] Triumphal March

[14] Come, O avenging warrior (The People, Priests)

[15] Savior of the Fatherland, I salute you (The King, Radames, Ramfis, and Priests)

[16] What do I see! Him? My father! (Aida, Radames, Amneris, Amonasro, The King)

[17] Let this robe I wear tell you (Amonasro)

[18] But you, King, you mighty lord (Aida, Prisoners and Slaves, Ramfis and Priests, Amneris, The King, The People, Amonasro, Radames)

Disc 2
[1] O King, by the sacred gods (Radames, The King, Amneris, Priests, The People, Ramfis)

[2] Glory to Egypt, to Isis (The King and The People, Slaves and Prisoners, Ramfis and Priests, Aida, Radames, Amneris, Amonasro)

Act 3

[3] O You Who Are of Osiris (Chorus, Priestesses, Ramfis, Amneris)

[4] Here Radames Will Come! ...O my homeland (Aida)

[5] Heavens! My father! (Aida, Amonasro)

[6] Yet I see you again, my sweet Aida... (Radames, Aida)

[7] Let us flee this inhospitable heat (Aida, Radames)

[8] You! Amonasro! You! The king? (Radames, Aida, Amonasro)

Act 4

Scene 1

[9] My hated rival slips away from me (Amneris)

[10] The priests are already gathering (Amneris, Radames)

[11] Alas! I feel myself dying! (Amneris, Ramfis, and Priests)

[12] Radames! Radames! Radames! (Ramfis, Priests, Amneris)

Scene II

[13] The fatal stone has closed over me (Radames, Aida)

[14] My heart foresees your doom (Aida, Radames, Priestesses)

[15] O earth, farewell (Aida, Radames, Chorus)

[Cast]
Aida (Ethiopian princess enslaved in Egypt): Renata Tebaldi (soprano)
Radames (Egyptian general): Carlo Bergonzi (tenor)
Amneris (Princess of Egypt): Giulietta Simionato (Mezzo-Soprano)
Amonasro (King of Ethiopia and Aida's father): Cornell McNeill (Baritone)
Ramfis (High Priest of Egypt): ArnoldVan Mil (Bass)
King of Egypt: Fernando Corena (Bass)
Messenger: Piero De Palma (Tenor)
Priestess: Eugenia Ratti (Soprano)
Libretto: Antonio Gislanzoni
Vienna Musikverein Choir
Chorus Master: Reinhold Schmidt
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
[Recording] September 2-15, 1959, Sofienzaal, Vienna
[First Release] DECCA SXL 2167/9 (1959)
[First Japanese Release] LONDON SLC1008/10 (May 31, 1960)
[Producers] John Cullshaw, James Walker
[Recording Engineers] James Brown, Gordon Parry
[Super Audio CD Producer] Motoaki Omachi (Esoteric Mastering Center)
[Super Audio CD Associate Producer] Minoru Yoshida (Esoteric Mastering Center)
[Super Audio CD Remastering Engineer] Shinya Higashino (Esoteric Mastering Center)
[[Super Audio CD Remaster] May 2026, Esoteric Audio Room, "Esoteric Mastering" system
[Liner Notes] Kozo Asari, Sumino Kishi
[Planning & Sales] TEAC Corporation
[Planning & Cooperation] Tokyo Denka Co., Ltd.

Karajan's first *Aida*, considered a landmark performance and recording in the history of recorded music, is finally here. Featuring a full lineup of Italian singers from the golden age, skillfully conducted by Karajan at the height of his career... the result is flawless.The Decca production team, which aimed to create a recording of "an opera you can see just by listening," consisted of the same master craftsmen behind the legendary *Ring Cycle*. Both musically and in terms of audio quality, this is truly a legacy of the 20th century.

- A Super Audio CD hybrid release featuring Esoteric's signature attention to detail
With an unwavering commitment to the original master sound andthe overwhelming improvement in sound quality achieved through Super Audio CD hybridization, ESOTERIC's classic reissue series continues to receive high acclaim. We have DSD-mastered these masterpieces-which have been hailed as definitive recordings since their release and have never disappeared from the catalog to this day-using technology and artistic sensibility evolved from the original masters, achieving the world's first Super Audio CD hybrid releases. This time, we are releasing iconic performances and recordings that epitomize the analog era from Decca's catalog on Super Audio CD hybrid format.

- A groundbreaking performance and recording hailed as "an almost ideal vinyl performance"
Famous as a groundbreaking performance and recording in the history of vinyl, the long-awaited *Aida* conducted by Karajan is finally here. Karajan recorded the complete *Aida* twice; his second recording with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1979 (EMI) was previously released by Esoteric asas "Karajan & Callas/The Great Four Operas" (ESSE-90072/80), a 9-disc set featuring four works: Richard Strauss's *Salome*, *Carmen*, and *Tosca* conducted by Preetle with Maria Callas.However, many consider this, Karajan's first *Aida*, to be an even more highly regarded recording. It was the first complete stereo recording of the opera and also marked the Vienna Philharmonic's first recording of an Italian opera; at the time of its release, it was hailed as a groundbreaking performance and recording, described as "an almost ideal recorded performance."

- In addition to the standout moments for each singer, the work is packed with highlights such as the "Triumphal March"
*Aida*, which depicts the tragic love story of a man and a woman torn between two nations-Pharaonic-era Egypt and Ethiopia-is a work by Verdi that premiered in December 1871. The libretto was written by Camille duLocle, who lived in Paris. Although *Aida* is said to have been commissioned by the Viceroy of Egypt to commemorate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Verdi became interested in the story-which depicts the conflict between love and law, and between the state and the individual-and began composing it at the Viceroy's request to stage this solemn tale set in Cairo during his own reign\and began composing. After its completion, the premiere took place at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo, Egypt. In addition to the standout moments for each singer, the work is full of highlights, such as the melody of the "Triumphal March" in Act II, Scene 2.

- Maestro Karajan, the Opera Specialist
Herbertvon Karajan (1908-1989), one of the leading maestros of the second half of the 20th century, began his international career in 1946 after World War II. He signed with EMI and made numerous recordings, primarily with the Vienna Philharmonic and, from around 1950, the Philharmonia Orchestra, thereby enhancing his reputation. From 1955, he served as artistic director of the BerlinPhilharmonic, and from 1956, he served concurrently as artistic director of the Salzburg Festival and the Vienna State Opera, earning him the nickname "The Emperor." Karajan's first opera recordings were Mozart's *The Marriage of Figaro* and *The Magic Flute* (1950) with the Vienna Philharmonic, butHe subsequently made several more opera recordings, and after becoming Artistic Director of the Vienna State Opera, he conducted works such as Wagner's *The Ring of the Nibelung* (a four-part cycle in which he also served as stage director), major operas by Mozart and Italian composers, and Stravinsky's *Oedipus Rex*.He was also a leading opera specialist who wielded significant influence in the opera world, rigorously advocating for performances in the original languages, actively fostering exchanges between singers and directors through partnerships with La Scala, and implementing various reforms.

- Defying the wishes of upper management to assemble his ideal cast
Shortly after the recording industry entered the stereo era in 1958, Karajan signed contracts with both Gramophone and Decca and began recording in March 1959.Decca, which had grown rapidly with the advent of the LP, was the label most eager to record complete operas, and it chose this production of *Aida* for Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic's first opera recording.One reason for this was likely that the production at the State Opera, which had been running since May of the previous year, had garnered acclaim. With the exception of McNeill (Aida's father), the cast was selected primarily from among the Italian singers with whom Karajan had previously collaborated.For the role of Radames (the Egyptian general), Decca's management strongly advocated for Del Monaco, who had appeared on the Erede recording (recorded in 1952) .However, it is said that Karajan and producer Karscho refused to budge on their decision to cast the young Bergonzi, who had garnered great acclaim the previous year for his performances with Tebaldi in *Madama Butterfly* and *La Boheme*, both recorded in Rome under the baton of Serafin.This episode illustrates the determination of Karajan and Karscho to make this production the very best, even if it meant going against the wishes of upper management. Their efforts paid off: this *Aida* was released in Europe and the United States during the 1959 Christmas season, just three months after the recording, andand was hailed as "an almost ideal recorded performance." Karajan's conducting and the superb performances by the renowned singers-Tebaldi, Simionato, and Bergonzi, who could be considered the best cast of the time-perfectly illustrate the reasons for this acclaim.

- A monumental recording in the history of the record, realizing a sound true to the score that would be impossible even in a theater
The recording took place in 1959, the year following the release of that immortal 20th-century masterpiece, Solti's*The Ring of the Nibelung*, and the recording staff and location were all identical. The "Decca Sound" of that era-described as "a grand and powerful sound that holds up exceptionally well even today"-is once again at its best here.The excellence of the Decca staff's recording had been highly praised even at the time, and the results of this recording-a hallmark of producer Karscho, who had long studied "how to capture the spatial effects of the theater" on record-became a major talking point. While the magnificent rendering of the Triumphal Scene (Act II, Scene 2) in this *Aida* was a major talking point from the outset, Karshaw also excelled in the priestesses' song outside the temple in Act I, Scene 2; the chorus and march heard from outside in Amneris's chamber in Act II, Scene 1;the prayer song inside the temple during the scene on the banks of the Nile in Act 3, the royal palace hall and the underground trial in Act 4, Scene 1, and the temple and underground dungeon in Act 4, Scene 2-all of which present extreme challenges in terms of perspective and spatial depth even on an actual stage-by utilizing several small halls within the Sophiensaal.Although it is a two-track stereo recording made before the development of multichannel recording, it was "hailed for achieving the sound exactly as written in the score-a feat impossible even in the theater.". *Aida*, a production to which every artist and staff member devoted their heart and soul. We hope that by listening to this first-ever Super Audio CD hybrid release resulting from the remastering process, many fans will once again recognize this as a monumental performance and recording in the history of recorded music. This is the first time it has been released as a Super Audio CD hybrid. We have remastered the recording from the original master specifically for Super Audio CD. As always, we carried out this work without compromise, from the selection of the master to the final DSD mastering process. In particular, for the DSD mastering, we used "Esoteric Mastering." We employed ESOTERIC's top-of-the-line equipment-the Master Sound Discrete DAC and Master Sound Discrete Clock-which had been meticulously calibrated. Furthermore, by generously utilizing MEXCEL cables, we were able to capture the information contained in the original master on disc with a rich, expansive sound.

4907034226320
ESSD90327

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