Written in 1841, Nabucco is considered to be the opera that established Giuseppe Verdi’s reputation as a composer. The Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera is based on the biblical books of 2 Kings, Jeremiah, Lamentations and Daniel and the 1836 play by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Come, although Antonio Cortese’s 1836 ballet adaptation of the latter was a more important source for Solera than the play itself. The opera originally bore the title of Nabucodonosor,...

Last opera performance of this festival was a concert performance of Verdi's first big success Nabucco in an all Italian cast. Maestro Muti brought along his orchestra and chorus of the Teatro dell`Opera di Roma. And one could feel the close relation of the musicians with the music of Verdi and Nabucco in particular. He made them play sensible, clear with Italian pathos and melodic sense. The choir showed Italien feeling for singing and "va pensiero" made...