Nabucco, Royal Opera House

1840 was not Giuseppe Verdi’s best year. His beloved wife Margherita died at the age of 26, following their two children to an early grave. His second opera Un giorno di regno was a calamitous flop; La Scala took until 2001 to stage another production.

Amidst these personal and financial woes, Verdi wished to forsake opera. Only the encouragement of Bartolomeo Merelli, La Scala’s manager, convinced him to take up the pen again.

The result was Nabucco, a roaring success that announced Verdi as Italian opera’s most exciting voice. Although subsequent years saw him refine his craft, Nabucco shows the first flourishing of the composer’s genius.

It may not be the subtlest of his works, but it is bold, generous and emotive. The Va, pensiero chorus of Hebrew slaves remains one of the most recognisable in the canon, and has become among Italy’s most treasured songs.

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Nabucco’s tale is as epic as them come. Based on the Biblical conflicts between the titular Babylonian king and the Jews, it begins on the eve of battle and ends by ushering in unity and hope. Along the way, there is love, curses, madness, lightning strikes and familial betrayals.

The characters show much of the psychological complexity that would come to be one of Verdi’s hallmarks, especially the titular king and his scheming adopted daughter Abigaille.

For their summer 2016 season, the Royal Opera House will revive Daniele Abbado’s well-received 2013 production, set in the context of the twentieth century’s historical horrors.

The title role will be split between Royal Opera House regular Dmitri Platanias and the legendary tenor Placido Domingo, who performed the role to great acclaim last year. They will be joined John Relyea, Liudmyla Monastyrska and a host of others, while Maurizio Benini conducts the orchestra.

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