Take the trip down Ancient Babylon with Giuseppi Verdi’s Nabucco, premiering in the Philippines through the CCP The Met: Live in HD on April 2, 5:30pm, exclusively at Greenbelt 3 Cinema 1 located in Makati City.
Verdi’s third opera is a stirring drama about the fall of ancient Jerusalem at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco) and the subsequent exile of the Hebrews in Babylon.
The opera plot is as exhilarating as the story of its beginning. History has it that Verdi vowed to quit composing after the death of his first wife and the disastrous reception of his previous work Un Giorno di Regno. But after seeing Solera’s libretto, Verdi changed his mind and started composing again; creating an opera that launched his career.
The opera had its world premiere at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan in 1842, with a resounding success.
While the story stayed as close to the biblical events based on Jewish scriptures in Jeremiah, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Daniel, and the Psalms, librettist Temistocle Solera took some liberties with some of the characters.
Baritone George Gagnidze made his Met role debut as the imperious king Nabucco, alongside soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska who reprised her thrilling turn as his vengeful daughter Abigaille. Mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova and tenor Seok-Jong Baek, in his company debut, are Fenena and Ismaele, whose love transcends politics, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy repeats his celebrated portrayal of the high priest Zaccaria.
Daniele Callegari conducts Verdi’s exhilarating early masterpiece, which features the ultimate chorus piece, the moving “Va, pensiero,” also known as the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves in Act III.
When Verdi passed away six decades later, famous Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini led a vast number of orchestras and choruses from all over Italy to perform “Va, pensiero” during the state funeral of the Italian composer in Milan.
Catch this classic Met staging of biblical proportions, directed Elijah Moshinsky. Tickets are priced at Php350, with a special discounted price of Php 100 for students and young professionals upon presentation of ID.
For more information about the CCP The Met: Live in HD Season 9, visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official social media accounts in Facebook, X, Instagrams and YouTube.
