Nabucco

Opera in four acts

2h 45min 12+

music

Giuseppe Verdi

libretto

Temistocle Solera based on the Old Testament, the play Nebuchadnezzar by Auguste Aniset-Bourgeois and Francis Cornu, as well as the ballet of the same name by Antonio Cortesi

Conductor

Konstantin Chudovskiy

Director

Nadezhda Stolbova

Chorus Master

Elvira Gaifullina

Children's chorus mistress

Elena Nakishova

Set design and costumes

Petr Okunev

Casts

Nabucco which was Verdi’s third opera is the one with which his fame began. It is based on the events described in the biblical Book of Jeremiah (chapters 24, 25) and follows the plight of the Jews as they are exiled from the homeland and subsequently freed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadrezzar II. The opera was first performed at La Scala in Milan in 1842 and will be staged at Ural Opera for the first time.

Nabucco at the beginning of the opera is an idolater of Bel, he insults the faith of the Israelites, proclaims himself God and is punished for his insolence by losing his mind. Love for his daughter Fenena helps him redeem himself and adopt a new faith. The directors of the Ekaterinburg production have shifted the center of the story from Nabucco to his second, illegitimate daughter Abigaille. Having learned about her low origin, she disowns her father and seizes power. The production will feature the mimic role of the Soul of Abigaille, who lives in the sands of an endless desert as in a kind of purgatory. The Soul of Abigaille remembers her past earthly life and tries to correct the errors she has committed.

Act 1: Jerusalem

'Therefore these are the words of the Lord: I am about to give this city into the hands of the Chaldaeans and of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he will take it. The Chaldaeans assailing this city will enter and set it on fire…’

(Jeremiah 32:28—29)

The city is besieged by the Babylonian king Nabucco. In the Temple of Solomon, the Israelites pray for salvation. The High Priest Zaccaria tells the people that there is hope: Fenena, the youngest daughter of Nabucco, has been taken prisoner. The Jewish commander Ismaele is in love with her. A Babylonian detachment breaks into the temple led by Abigaille, the eldest daughter of Nabucco. Abigaille will keep the Israelites alive if Ismaele abandons Fenena for her. Ismaele rejects her love. Nabucco breaks into the temple with his army. To stop the enemy, Zaccaria threatens to kill Fenena, but Ismaele frees her. Zaccaria curses the traitor, Nabucco orders the destruction of the temple, Abigaille vows to destroy the enemies.

Act 2: The Impious One

‘See what a scorching wind has gone out from the Lord, a sweeping whirlwind which whirls round the heads of the wicked’

(Jeremiah 30:23)

Royal apartments in Babylon. Nabucco has gone on a new campaign against the Israelites, leaving the throne to his youngest daughter. Abigaille discovers a secret document that proves she is the daughter of slaves and therefore will not be able to rule Babylon. The High Priest of Bel reports that Fenena has released the Israelite captives. He encourages Abigaille to spread the rumor that Nabucco has died and take the throne.

In the dungeon, Zaccaria prays for the salvation of the Israelites. The priests curse Ismaele for his betrayal. Zaccaria’s sister Anna intercedes on his behalf: Fenena, who he saved, has converted to Judaism. Abdallo, the head of the Babylonian guard, warns of the conspiracy carried out by Abigaille. Fenena refuses to give up her the crown. Nabucco reappears unharmed saying he has defeated the Jewish god Yahweh, and the Babylonian god Bel has turned his subjects into traitors, so from now on he is the only god. A thunderbolt strikes Nabucco down, he loses his senses. Abigaille takes the crown from her father and pronounces herself Queen of Babylon.

Act 3: The Prophecy

‘Therefore marmots and jackals will skulk in it, desert-owls will haunt it; never more will it be inhabited and age after age no one will dwell in it’

(Jeremiah 50:39)

Abigaille forces the insane Nabucco to sign the death warrant for the Jsraelites and, therefore, for Fenena. In anger, he calls Abigaille a slave, but she tears up the document about her origin. Nabucco pleads to spare Fenena but in vain. He is taken into custody. The Israelite captives await execution. Zaccaria prophesies fall of Babylon.

Act 4: The Broken Idol

‘Bel put to shame, Marduk dismayed; the idols of Babylon are put to shame’

(Jeremiah 50:2)

Through the bars of the dungeon Nabucco sees Fenena being led to execution. In desperation, he prays to Yahweh and his reason is restored. Abdallo and loyal soldiers release him. At the last moment Nabucco stops the execution and grants freedom to the Israelites. Abigaille appears: she has poisoned herself and now is dying, begging forgiveness of everyone.

Premiered on — September, 8 2021

Performed in Italian with Russian subtitles

running times 2h 45min

Doors open

1h before the beginning

Act I

45min

Interval

20min

Act II

30min

Interval

15min

Act III

55min

Finish

Nadezhda Stolbova

Opera Director

Nabucco is one of the few Verdi’s operas which end relatively well. It becomes truly relevant nowadays because it makes us think about pride and its consequences.

Petr Okunev

Set and Costume Designer

In our production sand is an image of eternity. It literally fills the whole stage. I designed the costumes for the main characters as if they were growing out of this sand, as if from eternal space.