Despite Nabucco’s rudimentary plot and underdevelopment of its subsidiary characters, its dignity is maintained through its music, which, although still primitive by Verdian standards, already shows signs of the greatness to come.
Nabucco
Michael Shmith [The Age, 17 Apr 05]
Giuseppe Verdi State Theatre, Arts Centre
Despite Nabucco's rudimentary plot and underdevelopment of its subsidiary characters, its dignity is maintained through its music, which, although still primitive by Verdian standards, already shows signs of the greatness to come.
The famous chorus of the Hebrew slaves, Va, pensiero, the composer's signature tune, made the opera an immediate success in 1842: 59 years later, it was sung at his funeral.