Nabucco

An opera by Giuseppe Verdi

Dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi | Libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the historical ballet Nabucodonosor (Milan 1838) by Antonio Cortesi, based on the play Nabuchodonoser (1836) by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francio Cornu

In Italian with German and Polish surtitles

Nabucco is a drama about power, love, religion and freedom, based on the Old Testament story of the destruction of the First Jewish Temple in 586 BC: Nabucco, King of Babylon, has conquered Jerusalem. In his delusion, he has the Jewish people deported into Babylonian exile and proclaims himself a god. For this, he is punished with madness: no longer in control of his own senses, he is deposed by his daughter Abigail. Only when he professes his faith in the God of the Hebrews does Nabucco return to life and is able to save his younger daughter, Fenena, who is to be sacrificed to the Babylonian god Baal by her sister Abigail. He promises the Jews that he will build a new temple in Jerusalem in honour of their God.

Premiered in Milan in 1842, *Nabucco* marked Giuseppe Verdi’s international breakthrough. Yet in the years leading up to the creation of this first masterpiece, he had endured a difficult period: his two children and his wife had died in quick succession. His career as an opera composer had also stalled. Discouraged by failures and misfortunes, Verdi briefly considered giving up composing. It was only when he read Temistocle Solera’s libretto for *Nabucco* that he found new hope. Based on the lines of the famous Prisoners’ Chorus, Verdi’s first sensational success was born. To this day, this chorus remains a powerful example of the humanitarian concerns of its creator, who was also politically active throughout his life.

Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes, including an interval

• Haus Görlitz, Main Hall
• Musical theatre