Giuseppe Verdi; Antonio Ghislanzoni - Aida. Russian Edition - 1878

An apparently uniquely surviving Russian edition of the libretto of the famous Verdi opera, Aida. First performed in Cairo in 1871, this enduring classic premiered in Italy the following year and in Russia in 1875 in St. Petersburg. I could locate another Russian translation of the opera, also published in 1878, published in Moscow and now held at the Waseda University Library in Japan; however, no other copies of this Kazan imprint seem to exist. 12mo (17 x 11cm), 56pp. Bound in wrappers. Wear & tear to paper, especially last leaf (with loss of a few words); toned, some staining. A fascinating piece that helps to document Verdi's reception in Russia.