Politics. Religion. Nabucco is Verdi's retelling of the Old Testament story of King Nebuchadnezzar II's religious conversion.
On one side, the fiery Hebrew priest Zaccaria, battling to lead his people from oppression.
On the other, Nabucco, the tyrannical Babylonian king and his adopted daughter Abigaille, who will stop at nothing to get her father's throne and her sister's lover.
Will King Nabucco's ambition rob him of his beloved daughter as well as his kingdom?
Nabucco was an instant success at its 1842 premiere, with the famous Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (‘Va, pensiero’) taking on a political resonance that still echoes today.
The twists and turns of this epic early opera by Giuseppe Verdi are often seen as a call to the national liberation struggle that would eventually lead to Italian unity.
Exile and power, displaced populations and forced migrations are themes dear to Christiane Jatahy.
The Brazilian director, filmmaker and author, who was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in 2022, gives new life to Verdi's metaphor of the Bible by introducing the words of those who still stand up to tyrants and extremist ideologies today around the world.
In this hall of mirrors, in which chorus and audience are reflected, maestro Antonino Fogliani leads the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande through Geneva’s new production of Verdi’s masterpiece along with a cast of excellent bel canto singers, including Riccardo Zanellato, Nicola Alaimo and Saioa Hernández.
Here is a telling of epic history to help us reflect on our world today.
CAST
Nabucco
Nicola Alaimo
Abigaille
Saioa Hernández
Zaccaria
Riccardo Zanellato
Ismaele
Davide Giusti
Fenena
Ena Pongrac
Anna
Giulia Bolcato
Abdallo
Omar Mancini
Il Gran Sacerdote
William Meinert
Orchestra
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Chorus
Grand Théâtre de Genève Chorus
Music
Giuseppe Verdi
Text
Temistocle Solera
Conductor
Antonino Fogliani
Director
Christiane Jatahy
Sets
Thomas Walgrave
Marcelo Lipiani
Costumes
An D’Huys
Lighting
Thomas Walgrave
Video
Batman Zavarese
Photography and camera direction
Paulo Camacho
Video system development
Júlio Parente
Dramaturg
Clara Pons
Chorus Master
Alan Woodbridge
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