Nabucco
Phenomenal chorus scenes, extremely impassioned virtuoso arias, as well as the perennially topical themes of expansive war, lust for power, betrayal, life and death, are the reasons why it has always been a staple of opera houses’ repertoire. The opera Nabucco, depicting the dramatic story of the subjugation of the Israelites by the King of Babylon, ranks among Guiseppe Verdi’s most celebrated works. Phenomenal chorus scenes, extremely impassioned virtuoso arias, as well as the perennially topical themes of expansive war, lust for power, betrayal, life and death, are the reasons why it has always been a staple of opera houses’ repertoire.
All dates
Sunday
11/17/2024
5:00 PM
Státní opera
Praha
550 - 1690 CZK
Sunday
11/24/2024
5:00 PM
Státní opera
Praha
550 - 1690 CZK
Thursday
1/16/2025
7:00 PM
Státní opera
Praha
550 - 1690 CZK
Thursday
1/30/2025
7:00 PM
Státní opera
Praha
550 - 1690 CZK
Saturday
2/15/2025
6:00 PM
Státní opera
Praha
550 - 1690 CZK
Description
About
Phenomenal chorus scenes, extremely impassioned virtuoso arias, as well as the perennially topical themes of expansive war, lust for power, betrayal, life and death, are the reasons why it has always been a staple of opera houses’ repertoire.
The opera Nabucco, depicting the dramatic story of the subjugation of the Israelites by the King of Babylon, ranks among Guiseppe Verdi’s most celebrated works. Phenomenal chorus scenes, extremely impassioned virtuoso arias, as well as the perennially topical themes of expansive war, lust for power, betrayal, life and death, are the reasons why it has always been a staple of opera houses’ repertoire.
The title hero is based on the historical figure of King Nebuchadnezzar II. The opera starts with a true event, the destruction of the Temple of Solomon in 587 BC. Yet the following conversion of Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar) to Judaism and the setting the Hebrews free from captivity in Babylon are the librettist’s fictional creations, as are the complicated relationships within the royal family, and the strife between Nabucco’s two stepdaughters, striving to win the love of the same man and gain the throne. Loosely blending true historical facts, a biblical legend and imagination, the libretto made it possible for Verdi to bring to bear fully for the first time his immense musical virtues. The colossal triumph of Nabucco, his third opera, at the world premiere at La Scala in Milan in 1842 opened for the 28-year-old composer the path to fame. The opera’s best-known number, the chorus “Va, pensiero, sull‘ali dorate” (“Fly, thought, on wings of gold”), expresses the Hebrew exiles’ hope for freedom.
In Verdi’s time, however, it became a symbol of the Italian patriots’ resistance to Austrian supremacy, an unofficial anthem of the endeavour for a unified Italy free from foreign control; and the chorus has retained its political meaning up to the present day. Just as Verdi’s librettist drew inspiration from the Bible, particularly Psalm 137, biblical symbolism is foregrounded by the stage director Tomáš Pilař in his conception of Nabucco’s new State Opera production.
A co-production with the Slovak National Theatre
Creatives
Stage director: Tomáš Pilař
Sets: Petr Vítek
Costumes: Dana Haklová
Choreography: Martin Šinták
Lighting design: Daniel Tesař
Conductor: Andriy Yurkevych
State Opera Chorus
State Opera Orchestra
Nabucco
Nikoloz Lagvilava
Štěpán Drobit
Abigaile
Lilla Lee
Oksana Nosatova
Fenena
Markéta Cukrová
Stanislava Jirků
Ismael
Richard Samek
Josef Moravec
Zachariáš
Ivo Stánčev
Iurie Maimescu
and others