Nabucco was Verdi's first international success as an opera
composer and his first step toward becoming a national hero in Italy. Awkward
moments show that he still has a lot to learn about theatrical technique, but
there is lots of vigor, abundant melody, and occasionally a flash of genius.
One magnificent chorus, "Va, pensiero," expresses the homesickness of Hebrew
slaves in their Babylonian captivity. It became the unofficial anthem of the
Risorgimento, 19th-century Italy's struggle for freedom and unity, and was
sung spontaneously in 1901 by thousands of mourners lining the streets for
Verdi's funeral procession. It still brings out the best in any Italian
chorus, and it is the peak moment in this production--one of the few times
when the chorus deserves to be seen as well as heard. Otherwise, we have here
a fairly average evening in a provincial Italian opera house. There are
capable but not riveting performances by Renato Bruson as Nebuchadnezzar, who
conquers Israel, proclaims himself God, goes mad, and loses his throne, and
Lauren Flanigan as Abigail, his wicked daughter who seizes the throne and
plans to commit genocide. Drawbacks include an uneven supporting cast,
slipshod camera work, and poor recorded sound. The visuals do capture some of
the opera's epic scope, but until a better video edition comes along, most
Verdi fans would probably be happier with one of the excellent audio
recordings, perhaps the one conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli on Deutsche
Grammophon. --Joe McLellan