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NABUCCO

Giuseppe Verdi

Musical study, conductor: Pavel Šnajdr

Verdi began composing the opera Nabucco at a time of personal crisis, when he had not only just buried his two children, but also his wife, Margherita. The fiasco, which accompanied the premiere of his opera, King for One Day, forced him to accept the decision not to compose any more operas. An Impressario of Milan's opera house, La Scala, Merelli, was firmly convinced of his talent, and literally forced him to take the libretto of Nebuchadnezzar. Verdi was captivated by the text, and decided to try his luck once more as an operatic composer. The successful premiere of Nabucco at La Scala on 9th March 1842 decided Verdi's future, and lovers of operatic arts thereby gained one of the most successful creative artists.

The flame of success, which was ignited at the premiere of Nabucco, still burns brightly. The Biblical story of King Nebuchadnezzar and the oppressed Jewish people is still enjoyed by operatic audiences to this day. The Jewish chorus “Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate” belongs among the most beautiful operatic choral pieces.

We present this opera in its original Italian version, with Czech sub-titles. Premiere on 23rd June 2007 in the Great theatre.

“Nabucco is a work of youth, but one that is surprisingly mature and self-assured. There is much convention init, but already it shows the mastery of an accomplished dramatist, with clear signs of Verdi’s future inimitable style.”

Extract from the monograph Giuseppe Verdi by Josef Bachtík