Study Guide
Nabucco
Student Nights at the Opera
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
6:30pm - 8:00pm
For the Classroom Teacher
This one-page, online Study Guide is meant to supplement your lesson plan on opera
and the San Diego Opera docent"s visit to your classroom. It is filled with basic
information about the opera your students are going to see at the Civic Theatre.
Click on the highlighted text with your mouse in order to see a definition of the
term, to hear an audio excerpt from the opera, or to see an image to help illustrate
the text.
For further investigation of the opera, go to Operapaedia for more articles on Nabucco, the San Diego Opera Podcasts for audio programs on opera, and OperaTalk for 30-minute videos on the opera produced by UCSD-TV and the San Diego Opera Education and Outreach Program.
Students: Welcome to the Opera!
Very soon you are going to experience opera at San Diego’s Civic Theatre. We at San Diego Opera want to make sure that you have a great time seeing and hearing the spectacular sets and beautiful music, sung by some of the greatest voices in the world! In order to help you become more familiar with the opera, feel free to use this one-page study guide. Click or scroll over the words or phrases in bold and you will see images from the opera and hear music from it. Some of the links will take you to our Operapaedia site where you can read more about the opera, the composer and the period in which the opera was written. Have fun exploring the wonderful world of opera, and we look forward to seeing you at your Student Night at the Opera!
For the Student
The opera Nabucco was written by Giuseppe Verdi, an Italian composerwho lived from 1813 to 1901. The opera was first performed in 1842 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy.The story of the opera is based on passages from the Old Testament of the Bible and a libretto by Temistocle Solera.
Part I
It is 587 BC. In the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, the Israelites are surrounded by the invading Babylonians. The Israelites lament their fate in a stirring chorus. The prophet Zaccaria (bass) tells them not to despair because he has kidnapped the daughter (Fenena) (mezzo soprano) of the Babylonian King Nabucco (baritone), known in the bible as Nebuchadnezzar, and taken her hostage. When left alone on stage, Fenena and Ismaele (tenor), the son of the King of Jerusalem, declare their love for each other, even though one is Jewish and the other Babylonian. They are surprised by the entrance of Abigaille (soprano), another powerful daughter of Nabucco but whose mother was a slave. She too is in love with Ismaele and is jealous of her half-sister Fenena. Suddenly Nabucco enters the temple on horseback with all of his soldiers. Zaccaria threatens to kill Fenena, but Ismaele disarms him. The Israelites are angry at Ismaele, now thinking that he is a traitor to his own people. Nabucco orders the destruction of the temple, captures the Israelites, and takes them to Babylon.
Part II
In the King"s apartments in Babylon Abigaille is found alone, thinking about her love for Ismaele. She is interrupted by the news that Fenena has decided to free the Israelites and allow them to return to Jerusalem. Furious, Abigaille decides to take power for herself in the aria “Salgo già del trono aurato.” In the next scene, we find the prophet Zaccaria at prayer, asking God for deliverance for his people in the aria “Vieni o Levita”. He leaves the room, and Ismaele enters followed by a chorus of Israelites who condemn him for his treachery. Zaccaria and Fenena arrive though, and convince the crowd that Ismaele has actually saved a fellow Jew: Fenena the Babylonian Princess has converted! At that moment Abigaille arrives with soldiers and demands the throne, assuming that Nabucco has died in battle. Nabucco, however, appears and puts the crown on his own head and declares himself God. The people are all shocked as lightning strikes Nabucco and he goes insane. Abigaille snatches the throne and cries out triumphantly.
The music of Nabucco is strong, dark, almost brutal; this is music that truly matches the story! The power of the music comes not just from the singers, but from the orchestra. The orchestra is led by the conductor who gives the tempo with his baton and "cues" the instruments of the orchestra (as well as the singers on stage) when it"s time for them to play or sing. Behind the stage ("backstage") there are many workers moving sets and props, raising and lowering the curtain, focusing the stage lights, helping the singers to adjust their costumes or preparing props that will be used in the opera. Opera is about spectacle as well as story and music. Audiences have always expected a big "show" in the opera theatre, and that"s what we try to give them!
At San Diego Opera we perform all operas in the languages for which they were written, most often Italian, French and German, but also in Russian, Czech, and even English! But you will understand every word of the opera because of the supertitles that are projected over the stage and provide a complete translation into English.
The singers in our operas are opera stars from all over the world, and who have sung in the finest opera theatres in London, Paris, Milan and New York. The San Diego Opera Chorus is a professional chorus made up mostly of singers from the San Diego area, many of whom are opera soloists in their own right.
