This is Every Voice with Terrance McKnight. It’s still  a new podcast from WQXR that interrogates the culture of our classical music scene and we look at ways to make it beautiful for all of us. In this series we’re talking about representations of blackness in opera. Today we’re wrapping up our discussion of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida.  

 

AIDA: Flurry 

 

Kevin Maynor: Aida is a magnificent piece 

 

Terrance:  Bass Kevin Maynor

 

Kevin Maynor: With all of the triumph and the pageantry of what we expect and what would be called a grand opera. 

 

Nimet Habachy: Egypt is a nation of a hundred million people and climbing

 

TERRANCE: Radio host Nimet Habachy. 

 

Nimet Habachy:  and of that a hundred million, I would say 2% might even know what Aida is about or ever even existed.  I don’t know if Terrance mentioned the basics, but I happen to be Egyptian, born and bred.  

 

Terrance: Now that we got that straight …

 

                                       <SHOUT>

 

Terrance McKnight: This is Every Voice with Terrance McKnight and with this episode we wrap up our discussion of Aida and then we’ll head 800 miles north to Turkey to deal with Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio. So for you and the 98%ers back home in Egypt who have no idea what Aida is.  Here’s some of the music from that opera. they’re singing Glory to Egypt.

 

<MUSIC:  “Gloria all’Egitto, ad Iside” >

Terrance McKnight: Aida, the Ethiopian princess had been captured and brought to Egypt where she fell in love with the man who kidnapped her. 

 

Angela Brown: The Egyptians, the, the priests. They're yelling “War, war, war.” And I'm, I'm still torn. And then all of a sudden I want my man to win.

 

Terrance McKnight: That’s Angela Brown as Aida, at this point Aida was a traitor, rooting for the enemy.

 

Angela:  And I say, return victorious and then it's like, “oh my god. If he returns victorious, that must mean that my family is dead.” My father is dead. My country is, is, is being attacked. How could I save those words? And so then NAME comes out I curse myself almost for saying these words against my family.

Terrance McKnight: I brought up this point last week, but I’ll remind you because it’s important. Typically, the singer who sings Aida is either naturally brown like Angela or is dyed brown for the role.  The Egyptian kidnapper and conqueror is not.  He’s typically caucasian.  Interesting power dynamic right? Caucasian master; brown slaves. Well in 2022, the Metropolitan opera house in New York went out on a limb and brought in African American tenor Limmie Puliam to cover the role of Radames, Limmie made his Metropolitan Opera house debut as an African. 

 

Limmie Puliam:  I was honored to have the opportunity to go on to sing this role and uh, you know, and to later find out that I was the first, first black tenor to have that opportunity on the Metropolitan stage, um, it was both an honor and pretty shocking that, uh, you know, thinking of all the greats who have come before me, that none of them were given the opportunity to do this role. In a way it saddens me.

 

Terrance McKnight: Opera is so much about tradition. Racializing is also a tradition, a very lucrative tradition for some. Ismail Pasha paid Verdi the equivalent of 1.2 million dollars of his cotton money to compose Aida. And there’s not so subtle messaging in the opera too - pales skin dominating brown skin. And although love is possible between the cultures, for the sake of power, they must not be joined in matrimony. Gotta remember what old Abe Lincoln said in 1858.  “Just because I don’t want her as my slave, doesn’t mean I want her for my wife”.

 

<MUSIC: “Qui Radames verra!...O Patria mia”>

 

Angela Brown: And then I go through all these different emotions and I end up falling to my knees and praying to God, to save me from this situation, to fix this situation that I find myself in. So, I can still have my love and still have my father, my homeland, which I love as well. So I, I'm in a, between a rock and a hard place at this moment in the opera and uh, it's very sad for me.

 

Terrance McKnight: Tell us about the next time you see your father. 

 

<MUSIC:  “Gloria all’Egitto, ad Iside” >

 

Angela Brown:  The Egyptians come into the Egyptian courts and they have brought back all of the bounty of my homeland. I see all the gold and the ivory and the furs, uh, of, of the skins of the animals that they killed.

 

Terrance McKnight:  Gold, ivory, furs. This scene must’ve been very enticing for those who were on a carefully curated guest list for opening night in 1871.  As Aida was being performed that night, plans were being made to invade Ethiopia.  And at least thirty of the men involved in the planning were Americans. Americans who had fought on the side of the confederacy during America’s Civil War. Losers such as Major General Thaddeus Mott, Charles Pomeroy Stone, Henry Hopkins Sibley and William Wing Loring to name a few. And by hiring these men, Ismail Pasha gave them a second chance to subjugate Africans. Not in an opera but in real life. 

 

Angela Brown: And then I see actual people that they have killed. And these were my, my people. And I see them come in, in chains and ragged from being at war.

 

                  <MUSIC:  “Gloria all’Egitto, ad Iside” >

 

Angela: And then I see my father and I run to him and I embrace him. And he tells me really quickly in my ear, “You can't let them know that I'm the king. You understand? Girl, remember your place!” Then it said, this is your father. And he was like, yes, I'm her father, but he does not let on that he's the king. Radames comes to my rescue and says, well, you know, this is her father and so we should release them to show good faith. Uh, all is well between Egypt and Ethiopia, and the priest is like, no, we need to keep Aida and her father in the courts so you can let the rest of 'em go. But they need to stay in the courts as captives. And so that's when Amneris is given to Radames as a prize for coming back victorious from defeating the Ethiopians. 

 

Sir Williard White: There was a great celebration. 

 

Terrance:  Sir Willard White as the King of Egypt.

 

Sir Williard White: In order to cement the peace despite the advice of the high priest and some of the people saying that they should kill, they captured King Amonasro, I decided that no, he should be kept in prison, yes, but to make the peace, the, the conqueror and my daughter should be joined together to assure the continuation of a powerful reign in the near future

 

Terrance:  This is Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, we’ll take a short break.

 

                                —-BREAK—--

Terrance McKnight: This is Every Voice with Terrance McKnight, welcome back. So Aida represented a threat to the near future that the King of Egypt and Ismail Pasha had in mind.  Aida was a disruption to imperialism and power and land grabbing that was in motion. Radames choosing Aida over Amneris was not an option. That represented racial mixing which in real life in many places was illicit and punishable by law 

 

Angela Brown: So I'm going there to meet him and before he shows, I think it's him, but it's my father that has followed me there,

 

Terrance McKnight: Aida talking about meeting Radames at the place where he was supposed to marry Amneris. 

 

Angela Brown:  Child… I was too through. I was like, “daddy, why are you here?” And he was like, “why are you here, daughter? I followed you. Now I'm very sure you in love with that man. How dare you be in love with someone that has vanquished our people and killed your mother!  Well, I tell you what I want you to do, daughter. I want you to find out,the crossing place where the Egyptians will be crossing into Ethiopia and then find out and then report back to me and let me know.” I told Father that I would find this information out for him. When Radames did show up finally, he's trying to smooth things over, and I'm just like, I just don't want to hear it.  And then I said, okay, well if you really think we can have this beautiful life together, why don't you tell me what direction your army is going? So that I can tell my people so that they can not be killed. And so he then lets me know the secrets. And then that's when my father reveals himself, and it's a big old cluster. Well, with all of this going on, all of a sudden, Amneris comes out of the temple and sees that Radames has told them everything in order to their army. .

 

RAEHANN:  It was like my skin was on fire and I was like shaking and I had never felt anything like that before. 

 

Terrance McKnight: This is Mezo Raehann Bryce-Davis as Amneris

 

Raehann Bryce-Davis: Rage, Frustration.  Just like pouring out of me and through [00:15:00] me and under me and above me and just spinning around. What's so special about this person that I don't have, like I'm, I'm the princess. I have the power, I have, you know, I have everything. Like physically, I have everything. Why, what is it about her that, that is so special. 

 

Limmie Puliman:  Radames is labeled a traitor and, uh, and is sent off to be entombed, basically buried alive. 

 

Angela Brown:  I am spent, I am near death myself at that moment and they close the tomb.

 

Limmie Puliman: And he's saying, you know, this, this, this fatal rock that entombs me that is enclosed about me and, um, this is my tomb. And that I will never see Aida again. (In Italian)  Aida, where are you? And as he continues, he starts to see that shadowy figure. And it has, it's, it's a human form. Oh heavens, it's Aida. There's really no way to get us outta here. This is our time left together. We're just kind of sit here and wait to die.

 

Limmie Puliman sings: Tomb scene aria

 

Angela Brown: And at that moment, all I can think about is how much I love him and how happy and joyful I am to be with the love of my life for the end of my life.

 

Limmie Puliman:  It was an opportunity for me to show her how much I loved her and whether that meant we, uh, consummate things before it's too late, uh, and spend our final moments together in that way, you know, we just spend our final moments holding each other in each other's arms and waiting for those last remnants of oxygen to be, uh, sucked away. But no matter how you play it, the outcome's gonna be the same. 

 

Terrance McKnight: Within two years of the premier of Aida, life imitated art.  Ismail Pasha’s army was on the move.  Johannes IV, the King of Ethiopia, he sent this letter to Queen Victoria in June 1873. 

 

TONY:  

May the message of the elect of God, Johannis,  King of Kings of Ethiopia, and all its territories reach the honored, the respected English Queen Victoria. Please accept my truly heartfelt greetings of friendship.  I received the letter you sent me from the hands of General Kirkham I was very pleased when I read and understood it, may God reward you on my behalf.  In your letter I found the statement that you worked hard and tired yourself on my behalf by writing to Ishmael Pasha, however the reply that Ismail Pasha sent to your letter is not true, he is still in occupation of the surroundings of Ethiopia, of my country, he has not withdrawn.  Day after day he has not refrained from occupying what belongs to me.  His army is where it has been.  It has not withdrawn.  I have not strong and truthful friend whom I trust other than you and I am saying all this because I know you are the Protector of Christians and now look at all the deeds of the Muslims it is to convert Ethiopia, the land of Christians, to the Muslim religion and to introduce slavery. All this is not my wish.  By the power of god all Ethiopia is in my hands ever since I became King. Until now, Ismail Pasha wants me to fight with him to shed my blood in vain. And now, observe the injustice I am suffering.  The intrigues of Ishmail Pasha are many.  In order that I not be on friendly terms with you he has prevented me from getting an outlet on the shores of the Red Sea. But trusting on the Christ in you I maintain peace while I, by the power of my lord, consolidate my kingdom. Rastafari lead the way.

 

Terrance McKnight:  Queen Victoria gave Ethiopia zero assistance, instead, Britain began an occupation of  Egypt in 1882.  Johannes defeated Ismail Pasha’s army on multiple occasions and Ethiopians later turned back the Italians who attempted to colonize Ethiopia after the Berlin conference of 1884.  Therefore, enslaved Ethiopians as depicted in Aida, was a dream unrealized by Ismail Pasha and those who colluded with him.  But the image of those East Africans in chains that’s what so upset my friend and me the night we saw Aida in Atlanta many years ago.  

 

So where do we go from here as we try to make the art form beautiful for all of us. I guess we have to do this one opera at a time….To all of my Habish friends listening you know what I say…conjonish…deinawhonee!  This is Every Voice with Terrance McKnight.  Many cultures, many voices, one people 

Every Voice with Terrance McKnight was written and produced by Terrance McKnight, David Norville, and Tony Phillips. Our research team includes Ariel Elizabeth Davis, Pranathi Diwakar, Ian George, Jas Ogiste. This episode’s sound design and engineering was by Alan Goffinski. And our original music was composed by Brother Jermey Thomas and Dr. Ashley Jackson on harp, and brother Titos Sompa on percussion and vocals.

Our Project Manager is Natalia Ramirez, and our Executive Producer is Tony Phillips. The Executive Producer for WQXR Podcast is Elizabeth Nonemaker, and Ed Yim is the Chief Content Officer at WQXR.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. You can find more information on the web at arts.gov.

Special thanks to The Met archives for invaluable research data. And thanks to all the wonderful guests in this episode

If you enjoyed this episode, please take time to rate it, rate us, review up on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Thanks for listening. Tune in next week. We'll see you next time.

Voice: You’re listening to every Voice with Terrance McKnight 

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