Nabucco

ABOUT PERFORMANCE

The Old Testament story of the capture of the Jewish people by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was the inspiration for Giuseppe Verdi´s first really successful opera. Probably no one imagined at the premiere that Solera’s originally rejected libretto would be transformed into an iconic work in Verdi´s hands, but the immediacy, passion and temperament of the music captivated the audience, and rightly so. And then there is also the story of a nation longing for a homeland and for freedom, a story which still hasn’t lost its power and relevance, and whose personification is the famous choral piece “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” (Go, thoughts, on golden wings…). Just as with other works by Verdi, Nabucco also hides another more intimate layer about love and family relationships, and the composer portrayed these with the feeling of a true playwright. It is no wonder that this opera, full of magnificent choral sections and captivating singing parts, has been one of the most popular works in our repertoire for thirty-five years.

Verdi´s Nabucco has consistently been one of the most popular pieces in the Brno Opera´s repertoire since 1985. The work, which soon after its premiere in 1842 became a symbol of the struggle for freedom of the nation and of worship, also contains another, much more intimate story about love and family relationships. Both were transformed by the Italian master into captivating music, and even though it is the choir that gets to sing the most famous part “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” (Fly, thought, on golden wings…), the actors in the main roles also get their fair share. The born playwright Verdi wrote virtuoso parts for them, full of passion and temperament.

The main protagonists will be performed by the best of the best in the new production directed by Jiří Heřman with music direction by Ondrej Olos. Soprano Csilla Boross is returning to the Brno stage in the role of Abigaille, and Enrico Casari is no stranger here either, as he played Živný excellently in the autumn premiere of Janáček´s Destiny.  Slovak baritone Dalibor Jenis, star of the world’s leading opera houses,  will be playing the title role on the Janáček Theatre stage for the first time. He has been guesting at prestigious institutions like the Vienna State Opera, London Covent Garden, Milano La Scala and the Opéra Bastille in Paris for more than 25 years. Nabucco and other Verdi roles lie among his domains.

Staged in the Italian original with Czech and English subtitles.

CAST

Dalibor Jenis - Nabucco
Enrico Casari - Ismael
Jiří Sulženko - Zachariáš
Jan Šťáva - Zachariáš
Csilla Boross - Abigail
Václava Krejčí Housková - Fenena
David Nykl, Jan Šťáva - Hight priest
Petr Levíček - Abdallo
Daniela Straková-Šedrlová - Anna