Nabucco in China

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From May 22 through 26， 2013， a revival of Giuseppe Verdi’s nabucco was staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts（NCPA） in Beijing. As a major component of the NCPA’s 2013 Opera Festival， the opera attracted a globally celebrated cast and crew， including director Gilbert Deflo and Spanish tenor Placido Domingo.

Legend of Ancient Babylon

To commemorate Verdi’s 200th birthday， opera houses throughout Europe and America are currently staging Verdi’s masterpieces， including Nabucco， and china’s NCPA is no exception.

“Nabucco is one of Verdi’s most influential works，” explains Li Zhixiang， manager of the Performance Department of the NCPA. “We are paying homage to the master by returning his masterpiece to the stage.”

Composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi， Nabucco is an Italian opera in four acts based on the Biblical story of Jewish oppression under Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar， the opera’s namesake. The plot utilizes the historical and Biblical plight of the Hebrews being conquered and exiled from their homeland as a backdrop for romantic and political themes. Despite becoming deeply enslaved， the Israelites maintain their faith and hunger for freedom. They are ultimately freed after influencing the king.

Several classical versions of the play remain. To best present it to Chinese audiences， NCPA invited a globally renowned crew， including world-renowned director Gilbert Deflo， who has directed more than 100 operas in 16 countries over the last four decades. According to Deflo， the version NCPA chose follows history closely across four acts in seven different scenes. In this version， the beginning of Act 3： The Prophecy differs from other versions which start with only a prelude. Instead， eight dancers appear with swords， adding tenseness to the atmosphere.

“I didn’t mean to stage a version specifically for China，” illustrates Deflo， “Art is not created for a certain audience – it’s universal.” Any artistic creation should be accessible to spectators from every part of the world.

NCPA pulled out all the stops in recreating ancient Jerusalem and Babylon. Even small details such as curled whiskers on mythical creatures were gleaned from displays in museums.

International Team

This production of Nabucco attracted even more attention because Placido Domingo， one of the most recognized names in opera， stars as the title character. Domingo has returned to China many times since 1988 when he first sang at the Great Hall of the People. He performed every time he visited the country， but this marks his first opera in China – the culmination of years of cooperation with NCPA.

Domingo didn’t have much time to rehearse， but he worked extremely hard. “I was very passionate since the first day of rehearsal，” reveals Domingo. “I enjoy every moment on stage from the bottom of my heart， like many others. For me， singing has become an indispensable part of my life.”

To join the international masters， NCPA invited a number of elite Chinese performers， such as soprano Sun Xiuwei and mezzo-soprano Yang Guang， winners of the Domingo Vocal Competition. Sun was cast as Abigaille， adopted daughter of King Nabucco. Sun turned down several other offers in order to join rehearsals early on. “She was devoted and followed my direction faithfully，” beamed the director.“And she picked up her role very quickly.”Yang Guang plays the part of Fenena， the princess， after excelling in Wagner’s Lohengrin last year at NCPA.

For Chinese audiences， Nabucco is not as familiar as Verdi’s other work， such as Jester or Lady of the Camellias. Nevertheless， “Fly， Thought， on Golden Wings”has become a staple for professional andchoruses alike. NCPA is brimming with confidence in the success of the masterpiece in Beijing. “The stars are aligning for the performance of Nabucco at a time when the world is commemorating the 200th birthday of the musical titan，”adds Manager Li Zhixiang of the NCPA Performance Department.