The action moves from ancient Babylon to Europe at war in the 19th century in the new co-production with the Zurich Opera / The popular title that confirmed Verdi’s career can be seen on July 15 in squares, auditoriums, theaters and museums from all over Spain
‘Nabucco’ is one of Giuseppe Verdi’s most popular operas. It hasn’t been staged at the Teatro Real for a century and a half, and the Colosseum has chosen to close the season when things will return to full normal after the worst of the pandemic. In a new co-production between the Royal and the Zurich Opera, it will offer 15 performances between 5 and 22 July with musical direction by Nicola Luisotti and staging by Andreas Homoki. In this highly anticipated ‘Nabucco’, the action moves from ancient Babylon to Europe at war with the emerging nations of the 19th century. On July 15, you can enjoy a live broadcast in squares, auditoriums, theaters, museums and cultural centers all over Spain.
‘Nabucco’ was the first Verdi title played at the newly built Teatro Real in 1850, during the acoustic tests prior to its opening. The opera premiered on the stage in 1853 and was staged in successive seasons and with enormous success until 1871. It hadn’t been seen in the hall since then. Now, 151 years after his last appearance at the Real, he returns to the Colosseum with three great voices by Verdi.
Andreas Homoki, director and debutant at the Real, translates the conflict between Jews and Babylonians from the 6th century BC to the confrontation between Italians and Austrians in the 19th century. “The polytheistic system of the Babylonians is utopianically opposed to a new and modern system, embodied in the monotheistic vision of the world of the Hebrews,” he explains.
In ‘Nabucco’ the chorus occupies a primordial role, both in the musical structure and in the dramaturgy. The Royal Theater Choir sings the slave choir’s famous ‘Va pensiero’, giving a voice to the oppressed, as in the mythical Babylon of the 6th century BC, Italy in the 19th century or Ukraine today.
The drama is set in a sleek, minimalist and conceptual set designed by set designer Wolfgang Gussmann, who also signs the opulent costumes together with Susana Mendoza.
‘Nabucco’ belongs to Verdi’s first creative period and was pivotal in the life and artistic career of the legendary Italian composer. Verdi went through a deep crisis after the death of his two children and his wife and the resounding failure of ‘Un giorno di regno’. He thought about giving up the composition, but a chance meeting with the director of La Scala in Milan, who proposed the creation of an opera with a biblical libretto by Temistocle Solera, about the resistance of the Jewish people against the Babylonian invasion under auspices of Nabucco, inspired by the composer, who wrote the score with hardly any rest.
It premiered on March 9, 1842 at La Scala. Its success was resounding and the association of the oppression of the Jews with that of the Italians, under the yoke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, gave the opera enormous popularity. He transformed Verdi into one of the heroes of the ‘Risorgimento’, which would lead to the unification of the Italian territories. The melody of the slave choir would become the unofficial anthem of the new Italy.
It also elevated the soprano Giuseppina Strepponi, Verdi’s future partner, who sang the diabolical part of Abigaille. Success was the impetus for Verdi to resume his brilliant creative career
Nicola Luisotti conducts his seventh Verdi title in Madrid at the head of the Teatro Real Head Choir and Orchestra, after ‘Il trovatore’ (2007), ‘Rigoletto’ (2015), ‘Aida’ (2018), ‘Don Carlo’ ( 2019), ‘La traviata’ (2020) and ‘Un ballo in maschera’ (2020).
The role of Nabucco is sung by the baritones Luca Salsi, George Gagnidze, Gabriele Viviani and Luis Cansino; that of Abigaille for the sopranos Anna Pirozzi, Saioa Hernández and Oksana Dyka; that of Ismaele’s tenors Michael Fabiano and Eduardo Aladren; that of Fenena the mezzo-sopranos Silvia Tro Santafé, Elena Maximova and Aya Wakizono; those of Zaccaria, the basses Dmitry Belosselskiy, Roberto Tagliavini and Alexander Vinogradov, and those of the Great Priest, the basses Simon Lim and Felipe Bou.
The premiere will be preceded by a summer preview, on July 2 at 6 pm, followed by an ‘After Opera’ for young people up to 35 years old in the Royal Ballroom. On Friday, July 15, the opera will be broadcast for free on MyOperaPlayer and can be seen in squares, cultural centers, museums, auditoriums and theaters all over Spain, as part of the Opera Week programme.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
