This revival of Daniele Abbado's 2013 production transforms the 19th-century ‘Jewish opera’ into a modern masterpiece
Jewish themes rarely crop up in classical opera, so it's no surprise that Giuseppe Verdi sent shock waves through Europe with his third opera Nabucco in 1842. The piece replaces drab arias and emotionless principals with a dramatic retelling of Jewish Middle Eastern history. It's something of a trump card for Italian director Daniele Abbado, who made his Royal Opera House debut in 2013 orchestrating Nabucco, now returning for a second revival.
The title is an Italian adaptation of Nebuchadnezzar II, the Neo-Babylonian ruler who destroyed the Kingdom of Judah, including its capital Jerusalem, in 587 BCE and deported the defeated Jews to Babylonia. It’s less a war story and more an account of the secret love affair between the King of Jerusalem’s nephew, Ismael (Najmiddin Mavlyanov), and Nabucco’s daughter Fenena (Vasilisa Berzhanskaya). It wouldn’t be a Verdi opera without a difficult father-daughter relationship, pieced together by the eponymous ruler (Amartuvshin Enkhbat) and his other daughter Abigail (Liudmyla Monastyrska). Her envy towards Fenena is the focus of the drama and gives the ancient story a modern resonance. Soprano Monastyska is outstanding, her power-hungry lines about dethroning Nabucco and enslaving 'the Hebrews' are delivered with forceful assertiveness.
Israeli conductor Daniel Oren, together with a fully masked Royal Opera House orchestra and chorus, teases the audience with fragments of the unforgettable ‘Va, Pensiero’ ('Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves') before its full rendition in Part III led by Alexander Vinogradov's Hebrew high priest Zaccaria. The libretto is mournful, recollecting the lost Jewish homeland and exile to Babylonia, and is often credited as inspiring the Risorgimento – the unification of Italy in the mid-19th century. Until this point there’s little interaction between the principal characters and the chorus, which is a shame as it would have shown a unity between the communities against their enemies, but doesn't take away from Abbado’s moving production.
The production doesn’t depart from librettist Temistocle Solera’s original words, but Alison Chitty's abstract set design completely transforms the tone. Huge metal structures symbolise Assyrian idols. Identical grey slabs positioned side by side represent Jewish tombs on the Mount of Olives, a place of refuge for Jews after Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of the Hebrew temple. Their resemblance to Berlin's Holocaust Memorial is undeniable, especially alongside the costumes – aged grey suits in a typical 1940s style – that evoke a World War II era. The ability to convey both wartime and the post-war refugee crisis through costume and set design in the context of ancient conflict is truly powerful, conveying the damaging nature of war on communities.
By Betsy Cohen
Photos by Bill Cooper
Nabucco runs Friday 14, Monday 17, Thursday 20 & Sunday 23 January. 7.30pm (17 & 20 Jan), 7pm (14 Jan), 3pm (23 Jan). £36-£245. Royal Opera House, WC2E 9DD. Also available to stream via the ROH website, Thursday 20 January – Saturday 19 February, £16. roh.org.uk