Nabucco

A part of „Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022“ programme
Giuseppe Verdi
Nabucco
Opera in 2 acts
Librettist Temistocle Solera

Opening night on July 16th, 2022, at Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum
Opening night on October 1st, 2022, at Kaunas State Musical Theatre

Music director and conductor JONAS JANULEVIČIUS
Director KĘSTUTIS S. JAKŠTAS
Assistant conductor OKSANA MADARASH
Assistant director VIKTORIJA STREIČA
Costume and makeup designer DAINIUS BENDIKAS
Set designer ARTŪRAS ŠIMONIS
Video projections ARVYDAS STRIMAITIS
Light designer AUDRIUS JANKAUSKAS
Choreographer DAINIUS BERVINGIS
Choirmaster RASA VAITKEVIČIŪTĖ

Running time 3 hours (including interval)

Cast:
Nabucco, King of Babylon – Eugenijus Chrebtovas, Laimonas Pautienius
Abigaille, supposedly his elder daughter – Gitana Pečkytė, Sandra Janušaitė
Fenena, his daughter – Justina Gringytė, Gabrielė Kuzmickaitė
Ismaele, nephew of Zedekiah, the King of Jerusalem, – Egidijus Bavikinas, Kristian Benedikt
Zaccaria, high priest of the Jews, – Žygimantas Galinis, Liudas Mikalauskas,
Anna, Zaccaria’s sister, – Ieva Goleckytė, Gabrielė Bukinė.
Abdallo, Babylonian soldier – Mindaugas Zimkus, Povilas Padleckis
High priest of Baal – Tomas Ladiga, Joris Rubinovas,
Cursed, soldiers, escorts – Theatre’s and invited choristers

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The procession “The Way of Reconciliation” is a kind of opera epilogue. It will take place at the Kaunas Ninth Fort Memorial Complex, will capture the historical and emotional breakthroughs of the tragedy that happened here and will be supplemented with artistic accents. It is a way of concentration, sociality, companionship, memory awakening and meaningfulness, a way of living history, empathy and compassion, and everyone can participate in it. Actor Ramūnas Šimukauskas will help the participants of the procession to keep the emotion of concentration. Then gathered at the Kaunas Ninth Fort Museum the well-known, but contemporary and modern interpreted, present issues of community responding opera “Nabucco” by the all-time unrivaled Maestro of opera genre G. Verdi will be presented.

The plot of the opera tells the story of Nabucco (short for Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II, reign in 605–562 BC) who in 587 BC and again in 579 BC attacked Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple and exiled many Jews (the exile of Babylon described in Sacred Scripture). In 539 BC Cyrus II the Great, the reign of Persia, conquered Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to their homeland. The choir of slaves (i.e. exiled Jews) “Fly in a Dream” has become one of the most popular melodies in Italy, and in time – the anthem of the doomed and oppressed. It’s lyrics is a freely re-created part of the Psalm 137. The premiere of the opera took place on March 9, 1842, in Milan.
The contemporary interpretation of G. Verdi’s opera “Nabucco” reveals the idea of the nation’s (which can be any) struggle against any oppression and thirst for liberation, which in the context of today’s dreadful events, happening in the world, is extremely meaningful and relevant to various nations and cultures.