Nabucco

	30/07/2023
	21:00
	ATHENS
	Odeon of Herodes Atticus
	Odeon of Herodes Atticus

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Greek National Opera / Athens Festival co-production
Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Nabucco –  Opera by G. Verdi
Sung in Italian with Greek and English surtitles

All Performances:
26, 27, 29, 30 Jul 2023

Petros’ Performances (as Zaccaria):
27, 30 Jul 2023

Starts: 21.00

The Greek National Opera is bringing its 2022/23 season to a close with Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco, conducted by Paolo Carignani and directed by Leo Muscato. This impressive production, first presented to great success in 2018, is returning for four singular performances –on 26, 27, 29, 30 July 2023 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, as part of the Athens Epidaurus Festival– starring Dimitri Platanias and Tassis Christoyannis in the title role.

Nabucco is considered one of Giuseppe Verdi’s greatest operas. On a personal level, the work sealed his place as the most important Italian composer of the 19th century; on a broader, societal level, it came to signify the struggle for the unification of Italy. The opera is famous, among other things, for its celebrated “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves”, which is held up by Italians as something of an alternative national anthem, since it expressed a collective sense of opposition to Austrian domination. But beyond this renowned chorus, the opera also features a series of musically complex roles –for baritone, soprano, and bass– that are most demanding to perform.

The plot concerns the Babylonian captivity of the Israelites imposed by King Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco). When he, in a display of arrogance, demands they all worship him as their god, lightning strikes him down. Once Nabucco recognises Jehovah as the one true God, he is restored to his senses, releasing the Israelites and giving his blessing for the union of his true daughter Fenena with Ismaele, the King of Jerusalem’s nephew. Abigaille, who usurped the throne of Nabucco, also turns to Jehovah by the end.

While Verdi was not the first composer to set texts of an intensely political nature to music (indeed fiery lyrics brimming with a sense of patriotism are to be found in a number of operas before his own), in his case it is the very music that makes all the difference – that gives his operas such a clear political tenor, imbuing them with the power to move the masses.

This staging of the work, first presented to great success at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in June 2018, was created by Leo Muscato, one of the most dynamic, up-and-coming opera directors at work in Italy today. As a director, he has proven himself tackling works (in the main) by Verdi and Puccini, and has presented hugely successful productions at La Scala in Milan, as well as at other leading Italian opera houses – in Rome, Venice, Florence, Turin, and elsewhere.

The director notes: “This production for the Greek National Opera is a dramatic and raw take on the work. By choosing a setting that is closer to our own times, the tragedy of the Israelites who were deported and coerced into forced labour by the Babylonians is made somehow reminiscent of the Holocaust that left such a mark on the first half of the 20th century. There is no desire to conform to historical accuracy here: the aesthetic signature of the sets and costumes aims to render an abstract place and time, so that attention is focused on the essence. To recreate different and distant environments, we use a fixed scenic system: a floor, five entrances, a few props, and video projections across the theatre’s three walls. In our production, the Babylonians are governed by a military regime: men and women wear uniforms – at times expedition uniforms, at others parade uniforms. Nabucco is their supreme commander, and the Babylonians adore him like a god who walks the Earth. But when he suffers a stroke, Nabucco falls from grace. The Babylonians turn their back on him, and the devotion he was once shown is now lavished upon Abigaille, the new queen who has seized power. Only a small group of soldiers, led by Abdallo, remain loyal to their former commander. Nabucco, shut away inside some kind of a sanatorium, is treated like he has lost his mind. In a moment of despair, he finds the strength to repent for all the pain he has caused and asks God to forgive him for having so despised the Israelites. In this production, the tragedy of deported and enslaved Israelites reminds us, on the one hand, of the tragedy of the Nazi concentration camps, and, on the other, seems a lot like the torture systems adopted at contemporary detention camps, such as the one at Guantanamo.”

The refined aesthetics and visuals of the production are forged by means of the pared-back sets by Tiziano Santi, the modern costumes by Silvia Aymonino, the imposing lighting by Alessandro Verazzi, and the impressive video projections by Luca Attilii.

The production is conducted by the Italian Paolo Carignani, one of the most important opera maestros in the world; Nabucco marks his first collaboration with the GNO. A Milanese graduate of the Conservatorio di Musica “Giuseppe Verdi”, he has appeared at major opera houses in Europe and further afield, including the Staatsoper Wien, the Berlin Staatsoper, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House in London (Covent Garden), the Opéra Bastille in Paris, and La Scala in Milan, and regularly conducts some of Japan’s most important orchestras.

The all-star cast features Greek and international soloists of global standing. Sharing the title role are two leading Greek baritones carving out successful careers beyond Greek borders: Dimitri Platanias, who has shined bright as Nabucco at the Royal Opera House in London (Covent Garden), the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Opera di Firenze, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (Valencia), the Staatsoper Stuttgart, and elsewhere; and Tassis Christoyannis, who has distinguished himself performing at some of the world’s most major opera houses. Platanias made his GNO debut as Alfio in 2004 before going on to perform a wide range of roles at the opera house, including Nabucco in 2018 – an appearance warmly received by audiences. Christoyannis has performed lead roles in GNO productions since 1989, a range that includes title roles in such major works of the repertoire as Don Carlos, Falstaff, Simon Boccanegra, and Wozzeck. Alongside his stage work, Christoyannis has been highly active in the studio –recording operatic works and more– and also composes music of his own.

Abigaille in the first cast is to be played by one of the great mezzo-sopranos of our times, Minsk-born Ekaterina Semenchuk, who has set herself apart with performances given at the world’s greatest opera houses and is recognised as a superb performer of Verdi roles. The second cast will be bringing us Mariinsky Theatre soloist Olga Maslova, a graduate of the Voronezh State Academy of Arts.

Appearing in the role of Zaccaria are the exceptional basses Vitalij Kowaljow and Petros Magoulas. Performing with them are the acclaimed soloists Yannis Christopoulos, Konstantinos Klironomos, Elena Maximova, Marissia Papalexiou, Vangelis Maniatis, Yannis Kalyvas, and Evita Chioti. Agathangelos Georgakatos serves as chorus master of the GNO Chorus. With the Orchestra and Chorus of the GNO.