Giuseppe Verdi
Dramatic opera with a biblical theme
Premiere 31. 1. 2020
The king who had proclaimed himself a god was humiliated by a slave woman. We often value freedom and humanity only when we are losing it.
The long list of Verdi operas produced under the baton of the general opera director of the South Bohemian Theatre, Mario De Rose (Rigoletto, Aida, Il Trovatore, La Traviata) still lacks the title of Nabucco, Verdi’s third opera, which marked a fundamental turn in the composer’s artistic and private life. Temistocle Solera’s libretto is a free adaptation of the Old Testament story about the liberation of the Jews from their Babylonian captivity, to which they were brought in the 6th century BC by King Nebuchadnezzar II (shortened to Nabucco in Italian). The opera brings up timeless topics that appear relevant even today. However, what made Nabucco especially indelible is the chorus of the enslaved Jews “Va, pensiero sull´ ali dorate” (Go, thought, on golden wings) from the 3rd act of the opera. His melody soon made its way all around the world and its simple beauty- underlined by the dramatic situation and chorus singing- has been met with enthusiasm by listeners until today. The name of the versatile directress Veronika Poldauf Riedlbauchová promises, after her highly successful La Traviata, an original and powerful production, full of distinct, emotionally impressive images, in the spirit of the Italian saying “Che fata nuova” (How new it is!), which accompanied the first staging of Nabucco in La Scala, Milan on 9 March 1847.
