FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- Giuseppe Verdi is synonymous with Italian opera; yet the great Italian composer did not achieve success until the premiere of his third opera Nabucco in 1842. The story of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem led by King Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco) and the enslavement and eventual freedom of the Hebrews, Nabucco is grand opera writ large - spectacle, huge ensembles and crowd scenes, passionate relationships, jealousy and lust for power all encompassed in music both rousing, poignant and filled with Italianate melody. Nabucco also reflected Verdi's call for liberation and unification of a divided and occupied Italy.
Florida Grand Opera's first production of Verdi's iconic work in thirty-three years opened on Saturday night at Miami's Arsht Center. FGO will present the production at the Broward Center in Ft. Lauderdale on February 6 and 8. All of the grandeur and pageantry that would win Verdi such acclaim in his later operas Don Carlo and Aida are already present in Nabucco. The chorus of Hebrew slaves Va pensiero is both rousing and heartrending and the arias and ensembles are filled with unforgettable melodies. Nabucco's characters are larger than life - the tyrannical King who loses his mind but eventually regains his sanity, saves the life of his daughter Fenena and frees the Israelites; the evil and power crazed Abigaille; Ismaele , a royal Israelite who betrays his people for his love of Fenena.
Four acts of stirring music encapsulate the principals' rollercoaster of emotion set against a momentous Biblical and historical backdrop. The FGO production does full justice to Verdi's epic musical panorama. Designer Thaddeus Strasberger has created sets in the style of Verdi's day. The painted backdrops and panels are eye filling, rich in gleaming colors. Mattie Ulrich's costumes recall the old Hollywood Biblical epics of yesteryear. Director Leigh Holman has created a stylized production, moving the drama forward with bold strokes as in the Act I finale as the Temple in Jerusalem is pillaged and destroyed. For all the production's cinematic grandeur, Holman is not afraid to let the action pause and allow the singers their place in the limelight during Verdi's two part arias, the haunting opening sections followed by rapid fire finales.
Conductor Ramon Tebar was the evening's towering hero, leading the orchestra and chorus with passionate intensity and never letting the momentum flag. He drew luminous singing from the strong choral forces, prepared by chorus master Michael Sakir, and turned and led the audience in a sing along repetition of Va pensiero. The title role requires a dramatic baritone of commanding vocal and theatrical stature and Dario Solari brings a full, rotund voice and emotional fervor to the monarch, his anguished plea for his daughter's life deeply moving.
Abigaille is one of Verdi's most vocally challenging soprano roles, requiring huge octave spans from the lowest to upper most registers. The singer playing this villainess must spin a soaring legato line one moment, then rock the house with thunderous declamation the next. Russian soprano Maria Guleghina has made a specialty of this formidable role. Her regal presence dominated every scene. A few harsh top notes aside, Guleghina was a tower of strength, singing with glowing beauty and bringing down the house with dazzling coloratura at rapid fire pace. Her death scene was poignant as Abigaille begs forgiveness to the God of Israel for her evil doings. (In the Ft. Lauderdale performances, Abigaille will be sung by Susan Neves who, like Guleghina, has sung the role at New York's Metropolitan Opera.)
Kevin Short was the dignified Hebrew priest Zaccaria, bringing a deep well of tone to the leader's perorations for his people to show strength and resolve. Martin Nusspaumer's fine lyric tenor was a standout as Ismaele and he had the vocal power to carry over the chorus impressively in the big Act I ensemble. As Fenena, Mabel Ledo's gorgeous mezzo provided solidity in the concerted numbers and her brief solo in Act IV was one of the evening's high points. In the secondary role of Anna, Jouvanca Jean-Baptiste shone resplendently with a shining lyric soprano. (Jean-Baptiste will be singing the title role of Puccini's Tosca at FGO later this season.)
Nabucco is the work of a young composer poised on the edge of greatness. The sheer vigor and melodic abundance of Verdi's music is irresistible. The Florida Grand Opera production serves this historical work wonderfully, providing colorful and spectacular staging and vociferous vocalism under a gifted conductor with a real feeling for the idiomatic pulse of this score. Opera lovers should not miss this sumptuous Verdi celebration.
Florida Grand Opera presents Nabucco February 6 and 8 at the Broward Center in Ft. Lauderdale. For tickets and information, call 800-741-1010 or see www.fgo.org.
