Drama lirico in four parts

Musical direction Paolo Carignani
Production Günter Krämer

With Nabucco, Verdi did not only have his breakthrough in 1842, it was also his first stage work which was performed in Vienna just one year after the Milan world premiere – personally directed by the composer. Nabucco did not find its way into the permanent repertoire of the Vienna State Opera until 2001; but ever since, the story about the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and the deportation of the Jews into exile in Babylon has been one of Verdi's most frequently performed operas on this stage. Its popularity cannot only be attributed to the famous prisoners' chorus but also to the monumental figures of the megalomaniac tyrant ruler and his erotically frustrated and all the more power-hungry stepdaughter Abigaille. With this melodically and rhythmically rousing score, a young Verdi took over the legacy of his predecessors Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti.