The 19th-century viral hit that birthed a nation—opera so powerful it started a revolution.
The success of Verdi’s third opera, a stirring drama about the fall of ancient Jerusalem at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco), catapulted the 28-year-old composer to international fame. The music and Verdi himself were subsumed into a surge of patriotic fervor culminating in the foundation of the modern nation of Italy. Specifically, the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves ('Va, pensiero'), in which the Israelites express their longing for their homeland, came to stand for the country’s aspirations for unity and that exciting era in Italian history, the Risorgimento, or 'Resurgence'.
Score
'Va, pensiero'—the unofficial Italian national anthem, absolutely devastating.
Acting
Liudmyla Monastyrska's Abigaille: vocal firepower meets unhinged villainy.
Production
Moshinsky's massive sets—Babylon never looked this expensive.
Director
Elijah Moshinsky
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
In 1842, audiences demanded encores of 'Va, pensiero' until police intervened; it became the soundtrack of Italian unification.
Verdi nearly quit composing after his first two operas flopped; Nabucco's success literally saved his career and changed opera history.
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