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Disc 1:

1. Preludio
2. Act 1. Scene 1. Sì, corre voce che l'Etiope ardisca
3. Act 1. Scene 1. Se quel guerrier io fossi!
4. Act 1. Scene 1. Celeste Aida
5. Act 1. Scene 1. Quale insolita gioia nel tuo sguardo!
6. Act 1. Scene 1. Vieni, o diletta, appressati
7. Act 1. Scene 1. Alta cagion v'aduna
8. Act 1. Scene 1. Su! del Nilo al sacro lido
9. Act 1. Scene 1. Ritorna vincitor!
10. Act 1. Scene 2. Possente, possente Fthà
11. Act 1. Scene 2. Sacred Dance of the Priestesses - Mortal, diletto al numi
12. Act 1. Scene 2. Nume, custode e vindice
13. Act 2. Scene 1. Chi mai fra gl'inni e i plausi
14. Act 2. Scene 1. Dance of the Moorish slaves
15. Act 2. Scene 1. Vieni, sul crin ti piovano
16. Act 2. Scene 1. Fu la sorte dell'armi a' tuoi funesta
17. Act 2. Scene 1. Pietà ti prenda del mio dolor
18. Act 2. Scene 1. Su! del Nilo al sacro lido
19. Act 2. Scene 2. Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside
20. Act 2. Scene 2. Triumphal march
21. Act 2. Scene 2. Ballet
22. Act 2. Scene 2. Vieni, o guerriero vindice
23. Act 2. Scene 2. Salvator della patria
24. Act 2. Scene 2. Che veggo! Egli? Mio padre!
25. Act 2. Scene 2. Il dolor che in quel volto favella
26. Act 2. Scene 2. O Re, pei sacri numi... Gloria all'Egitto, ad Iside

Disc 2:

1. Act 3. O tu che sei d'Osiride
2. Act 3. Vieni d'Iside al tempio
3. Act 3. Qui Radamès verrà!
4. Act 3. O patria mia
5. Act 3. Ciel! mio padre!
6. Act 3. Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamate
7. Act 3. Pur ti riveggo, mia dolce Aida
8. Act 3. Nel fiero anelito di nuova guerra
9. Act 3. Fuggiam gli ardori inospiti... Là, tra foreste vergini
10. Act 3. Ma dimmi: per qual via
11. Act 4. Scene 1. L'abborrita rivale a me sfuggia
12. Act 4. Scene 1. Già i sacerdoti adunansi
13. Act 4. Scene 1. Spirto del nume, sovra noi discendi!
14. Act 4. Scene 1. A lui vivo, la tomba!
15. Act 4. Scene 2. La fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse
16. Act 4. Scene 2. Vedi? di morte l'angelo
17. Act 4. Scene 2. O terra, addio

Rating: - Grand Opera at its grandest
I was lucky enough to purchase this performance as part of EMI's "Black Dog Opera Library" about 10 years ago. This came with a terrific booklet that contained everything about the opera, the performers, the libretto, etc., with color photos. It is a shame that EMI stopped this Black Dog Opera Library.
As for the performance, it is almost Wagnerian in mood. At the very beginning of the opera I could swear I was listening to Parsifal instead of Aida. I am a big fan of Zubin Mehta's conducting, and this performance should tell you why! All of the voices here are BIG and intense. If I must find something to criticize, it would be that Birgit Nilsson has too strong of a voice for a "slave girl". There are moments when she is a bit overpowering, and even slightly out of tune. But, I can only agree with the other reviewers that this is really a wonderful performance from beginning to end.

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Rating: - Mind Crunching AIDA!
This aida simply SMOKES!
It has the vicious volcanic vocals of Corelli and the iron lunged goddess Nillson.
Plus you have Mehta conducting with sheer inspiration and spontanaety choosing tempos that keep the music flowing but maintain the dramatic spirit.
Nilsson becomes Aida and sings with rock solid technique handling the toughest vocal passages with the utmost ease and Corelli is a titan of vocal acrobats.
Everyone feels their characters and becomes them and you can truly experience their pain,conflict, fear, and destruction.
This Aida is the real deal and if you obtain it then it might become your favorite aida.
The only pitfall of this set is emi decided not to include what they included before and that was the libretto.
The emi great recordings of the century opera series all have librettos so this is a real rip off and the price should be cut.
Other than that, this recording is truly mind crunching and will smash anyone in it's path.
ENJOY!

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Rating: - Exceptional Aida
My opinion of this recording is biased because I was fortunate to sit through two days of rehearsals for a production of Aida that Maestro Mehta conducted "way back when..." Ms. Bumbry, who was also singing the part of Amneris in that production, was introduced to the orchestra by the Maestro as "Soprano" Grace Bumbry although opera houses at the time still referred to her as a "Mezzo soprano".
What makes this recording exceptional is its well-tempered even-ness: the voices are properly matched, the orchestra sound is intense but not overwhelming unlike the HVKarajan recording, and Tenor Corelli sings and splendidly ends the aria, Celeste Aida, as Composer Verdi wrote it and intended to be sung -- the last note starts forte and ends piano.

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Rating: - Verdi's Myth Comes to Life
A beautifully conducted Aida, which is rare, indeed: would you believe that the orchestral parts are made to sound like symphony? One of the atypical instances when the listener does not get bored and does not jump to the next track during the ballet scenes when listening to the CD, not watching the show.

Also Zubin Mehta belongs to a very small group of conductors who understand the importance of the Temple Scene. Here many conductors rush on, or do not place enough emphasis on the scene, apparently trying to get rid of it asap! Perhaps sometimes because they don't have the right singers to do it, as it is an extremely difficult moment. But this rendition is different.

Here, Verdi created his own mythology, it doesn't mater that he used the names of Egyptian gods throughout: both he and the librettist seem to have known little about Egypt, but aesthetically, this is a crowning achievement. Verdi, relying on singularly impressive lyrics, which is something usually unheard of at the opera, used his means (voices, harmony, modes) to beget the prayer to the creator god: "Vita dell'universo, Mito d'eterno amor" (life of the universe, myth of eternal love), "fuoco increato" (uncreated fire), "Tu che dal nulla hai tratto L'onde, la terra, il ciel" (Thou who hast created water, earth, and heaven out of nothingness). A crucial scene, in a splendid rendition, placing emphasis on Verdi's harmony and melodic line, bringing forth the sacredness. Although the chorus is a bit too loud by the end.

Wagnerian soprano Birgit Nilsson must have made enormous efforts, sometime successful, to master the role of Aida, aware that she was up against Franco Corelli. She does sing some beautiful notes, but she is very boring in "Ritorna vincitor" and in "Qui Radames verra . . . O, patria mia." In the Tomb Scene, she sings a beautiful "il ciel" (heaven) (G flat in piano), but without consonants in "Volano al raggio dell'eterno di" ([the wandering souls] are taking flight to the resplendence of eternal glow): she sounds "v....aaaaaa dell'eterno di," but the high notes, especially the B flat, are excellent.

Franco Corelli sings here one of his signature roles, with a very good rendition of the tremendously difficult "Celeste Aida," doing Verdi's morendo on the final B flat. Heroic throughout when he sings about his dream of being the army commander, singing with a tough, cold voice with Amneris, but warm with Aida. The Tomb Scene is sung a bit unusually, with a more lyric voice. He sounds desperate in "dolor" (suffering) and does his diminuendo on "raggio" and "eterno di."

Mario Sereni is less impressive and not very nuanced in the terribly difficult and crucial role of Amonasro, and Grace Bumbry is too light for Amneris, a dramatic role she should not have tackled. And do not expect to hear Amneris' desperation when she warns Radames against the horrible fate awaiting him and blames herself for her jealousy. But at least in the Tomb Scene, she sounds good, singing a soft prayer, not with brutal and/or dark sounds as some mezzo sopranos tend to.

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Rating: - A Legend...
If you really want to hear some great stuff, and understand Aida in one of it's best records, you must listen to this one. The cast is really the best, first with the great Franco Correlli, performing with a master technique a role that is perfectly suited for his voice; Birgit Nilsson, with this big theater voice that develops Aida with great form and the great Mario Sereni, just the best Amonasro. Zubin Mehta, passionate as always. An Aida that will make your Collection a golden one.