Nabucco

Nabucco - Giuseppe Verdi

State Opera Prague

Premiere: November 28, 1993

Staging team Conductor: M. Keprt
Stage director: K. Němec
Set designer: U. Hüstebeck, K. Kut
Costume designer: J. Jelínek
Choreography: O. Šanda
Chorus master: T. Karlovič

Cast

Abigail, slave: M. Málková, A. Todorova
Nabucco, king of Babylon: R. Haan, M. Bárta
Ismael, nephew of Judaic king: I. Jan, R. Samek, N. Višnjakov, M. Vlček
Zachary, Jewish Supreme Pontiff: O. Korotkov, J. Kruglov, L. Hynek-Krämer
Fenena, Nabucco’s daughter: A. Kalivodová, J. Levicová, J. Sýkorová, P. Vykopalová
High Priest of Baal: L. Hynek-Krämer, L. Mlejnek, R. Vocel
Abdallo, Babylonian chieftain: L. Havlák, J. Hruška
Anna, Zachary’s sister: H. Jonášová, D. Koklesová, D. Vaňkátová


Although Nabucco is only Verdi’s third opera, he has managed to create a highly suggestive work on the biblical topic. He was first captivated by the beginning of psalm 136 in the libretto: “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” (Fly, thought, upon gilded wings...), which inspired him to a spontaneous composition of a choir, whose fiery melody and rhythm made it into a song of liberation sung all over Italy. He finished the whole opera within a few weeks after that. The passionate music of the piece about the liberation of Jews from Egyptian captivity fully corresponded to the mood of the populace, yearning for liberation from Austro-Hungarian power and the unification of Italy.

Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes with 1 intermission
Performed in Italian with Czech and English captions

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