Organization

Singer

Tenor

Benjamin Bernheim

Ishmael

Omer Kobiljak

Abdallo

Soprano

Ania Jeruc

Anna

Baritone

Michael Volle

Nabucco

Bass

Georg Zeppenfeld

Zachary

Anna Smirnova

Abigail

Veronica Simeoni

Fenena

Stanislav Vorobyov

The High Priest of Ba'al

Conductor

Fabio Luisi

Stage director

Andreas Homoki

Set designer

Wolfgang Gussmann

Costume designer

Susana Mendoza

Lighting designer

Franck Evin

Chorus master

Janko Kastelic

Dramaturge

Fabio Dietsche

Thomas Bruner

Choreographer

Kinsun Chan

Opernhaus Zürich

Others

Chorzuzüger

Orchestra

Philharmonia Zürich

Zusatzchor der Oper Zürich

Chor der Oper Zürich

Italian

Zurich

Switzerland

Opernhaus

Giuseppe Verdi came to fame suddenly and resoundingly, in Italy and abroad, thanks to his third opera Nabucco, which premiered at La Scala in Milan in 1842. Disappointed by the failure of his previous work and shaken by grief in his private life, he found a spark of hope and newfound enthusiasm while reading the opera's libretto—especially the celebrated "Va, pensiero," sung by a chorus of slaves, which reminded him of the situation in occupied Italy. He decided to compose a patriotic opera, in a spirit of political engagement that would also color his next three operas, and the work's dramatic flair and bel canto-influenced musical aesthetic met with immense critical and popular acclaim, premiering at many other venues in the years following.

This elegant production at the Zürich Opera House, staged by Andreas Homoki, takes up the theme of Italian risorgimento and transposes the action forward a few thousand years to the time of the opera's composition. Maestro Fabio Luisi leads the world-class Philharmonia Zürich in Verdi's captivating score, backing up a fabulous cast led by the multi-award-winning Michael Volle in the title role with the superb Anna Smirnova, Georg Zeppenfeld, Veronica Simeoni, and Benjamin Bernheim as Abigaille, Zaccaria, Fenena, and Ismaele.

Va pensiero sull’ali dorate – the famous prisoners’ chorus from Nabucco is considered the centrepiece of the entire opera. And precisely these words are supposed to have fired Giuseppe Verdi’s imagination when his gaze happened to fall on this passage in the libretto, which he was about to put aside without setting it to music. With his third opera – written at a dark time that was overshadowed by a series of deaths – the composer saved himself, as it were. In this work, he found his way to his own dramatic and musical idiom that is characterised by both expansive lines and explosive rhythms. Verdi later wrote that his artistic career had only truly begun with the composition of Nabucco. An important protagonist in this work is the chorus in the role of the Israelites held captive by the Babylonians. Against this political background, the love story unfolds between Fenena and Ismaele as well as the intrigues of the jealous, power-hungry Abigaille. Ultimately, the Babylonian King Nabucco overcomes his megalomania and releases the prisoners – a theme that struck a chord in 1842, the year when the opera was premiered: Italian audiences identified themselves with the Israelites, since they suffered under the foreign rule of the Habsburgs and Bourbons. Verdi thus became one of the most popular icons of the Risorgimento; his name was equated with throwing off foreign domination and achieving political self-determination. Under the direction of Andreas Homoki, this new production will feature a first-class cast: Catherine Naglestad and Michael Volle will debut in the roles of Abigaille and Nabucco respectively, while the German bass Georg Zeppenfeld will portray Zaccaria. Music Director Fabio Luisi will conduct the Philharmonia Zürich.

Photos