Nabucco is an opera in four parts by Giuseppe Verdi, first performed in 1842 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. It tells of the fall of Jerusalem to the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, the captivity of the Hebrew people and the ambition of Abigaille, who usurps the throne. It was Verdi's first great success and contains "Va, pensiero", the chorus of the Hebrew slaves, one of the most celebrated numbers in all Italian opera.
Part I, Jerusalem. Nabucco's troops take the city. In the temple, the prophet Zaccaria holds Fenena, the Babylonian king's daughter, as a hostage, but Ismaele, nephew of the King of Jerusalem, frees her out of love. Nabucco enters in triumph and orders the destruction of the temple.
Part II. In Babylon, Abigaille, raised as Nabucco's daughter, discovers a document proving her origin: she is the child of slaves. Wounded, she also finds that the king favours Fenena, who has converted to the Hebrew faith and been named regent. When Nabucco returns and proclaims himself a god, a thunderbolt strikes him down and clouds his reason. Abigaille seizes the crown.
Part III. Abigaille reigns and wrings from the bewildered Nabucco his signature on the death sentence of the Hebrews, Fenena among them. On the banks of the Euphrates, the captives remember their lost homeland in "Va, pensiero"; Zaccaria foretells the fall of Babylon.
Part IV. A prisoner, Nabucco sees Fenena led to execution and prays to the God of the Hebrews. His reason returns; he frees his daughter and the captives and orders the idol of Baal to be torn down, and it falls of its own accord. Abigaille, who has poisoned herself, dies begging forgiveness.
Verdi composed Nabucco after a dark period: he had lost his wife and his two small children, and his second opera had failed. The biblical libretto by Temistocle Solera drew him back to work. The premiere, on 9 March 1842 at La Scala, was a triumph that launched his career. Italian audiences of the day soon heard in the chorus of the slaves an echo of their own national aspirations.
The chorus dominates the work, and "Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate", sung almost entirely in unison, is its centre of gravity. Abigaille has a formidable part, full of extreme leaps, with the aria "Anch'io dischiuso un giorno". Zaccaria brings the gravity of the bass prophet, and the overture, built on the opera's themes, announces its direct energy.
Nabucco shows a young, direct Verdi, with an energy that still surprises. The work speaks of oppressed peoples, of power and of pride punished, with a chorus turned into the leading character. Hearing "Va, pensiero" within its dramatic context restores its full meaning.
Allegro Spatial is not yet available in your country. Leave your details on our home page and be the first to know when the channel reaches your screen.
