Organization

Conductor

Samuel Hogarth

Stage director

Marcos Darbyshire

Set designer

Martin Hickmann

Costume designer

Annemarie Bulla

Lighting designer

Stefan Bauer

Dramaturge

Sonja Westerbeck

Singer

Baritone

Brett Carter

Nabucco

Tenor

Vincenzo Costanzo

Ishmael

Bass

Derrick Ballard

Zachary

Simón Orfila

Jisang Ryu

Soprano

Marta Torbidoni

Abigail

Milla Mihova

Aya Wakizono

Fenena

Stephan Bootz

The High Priest of Ba'al

Myungin Lee

Abdallo

Maren Schwier

Anna

Julietta Aleksanyan

Orchestra

Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz

Others

Chor des Staatstheater Mainz

Mainz

Germany

Großes Haus

Public

Private

Approved

Nabucco, king of the Babylonians, raids the Hebrews and destroys their temples. His daughter Fenena defected to the enemy camp. Her love for the slave Ismaele is a thorn in the side of her half-sister Abigaille. She is not only fighting against Fenena, but against the subjugated Jewish people.

But then Abigaille finds a document that reveals that she is the daughter of a slave and will therefore never be entitled to the crown. Only an intrigue and the mental decline of her power-obsessed father Nabucco pave her way to the king's throne...

A family portrait eaten up by envy and hunger for power is symptomatic of a ruling system that suppresses the urge for freedom, identity and faith. The hubris of a single despot - Nabucco - delivers tinder to political smoldering fires. In this early work, Verdi unfolds his musico-dramatic instinct for the theatrical effectiveness of the Old Testament material with enormous force. Effective large choral scenes are balanced next to the challenging solo parts. The fact that the famous Jewish prisoner chorus – “Va, pensiero” – was whistled on the streets of Italy shortly after its premiere as a hit song remains a legend, but it is still the most famous piece in the opera to this day.


Argentinian-born Marcos Darbyshire makes his directorial debut at the Staatstheater Mainz with this premiere. His gaze examines the libretto close to the text and poses questions about today's values ​​in tyrannical systems of rule that are only maintained through oppression. He expands the original perspective of the play, namely that two peoples are hostile to one another, to include a more universal idea: good versus evil, Zacchariah versus Nabucco, Babylonians versus Hebrews - it's not that simple. Linked to questions that are relevant today, the production puts values ​​to the test. In what social system can tyranny, abuse of power, and fatalistic beliefs flourish in such a way? What impulses guide dubious rulers, what willingness to make sacrifices emerges in a community marked by fear? Which perfidious mechanisms of power do people follow who are blind to transfiguration?

English

Nabucco by Verdi, From (2023/2023), Directed by Marcos Darbyshire,, Conductor Samuel Hogarth, Großes Haus, Mainz, Germany

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues