Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco, Dramma lirico in four acts

While not one of Verdi's best overall operas, Nabucco is one of his best early operas along with Macbeth and Luisa Miller and considered by many as his first masterpiece. And while it doesn't surpass the 1985 Bruson/Dimitrova performance as the best Nabucco on DVD, I found this a very good production. The costumes(with a few exceptions like Nucci's robe in his entrance) do look odd, stylistically confused and you are constantly unsure of where the production is meant to be set. The sets are somewhat minimal but effective and appropriate for every scene. The staging is compelling with nothing that strikes out as infuriating, in bad taste or stodgy. The orchestral playing is rousing and noble in some places and affecting and sensitive in others. The chorus are thrilling and thrilling in their numerous passages, the famous Va Pansiero(Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) being the one that stood out the most. Daniele Abbado's conducting is musical and knowing. Leo Nucci is a commanding Nabucco and even after over 25 years ago he still sounds good. Of the three productions on DVD(others being Vienna State and Arena Di Verona) he was in, this is the best production of the three and Nucci also gives his best performance here. His Abigaille, a voice-killer role, is Dimitra Theodossiou, she is an accomplished actress and her soft passages are pleasant on the ear. Her louder passages do sound a bit too forceful however. Riccardo Zanellato is a noble Zaccario with a powerful voice, while Anna Maria Chiuri is vocally and dramatically effective as Fenena. Bruno Ribeiro does have a beautiful voice, but for me he is too lyric for Ismaele and he comes across as a wimp, definitely the weak link of the cast. All in all, very good once you get past the costumes and to a lesser extent the Ismaele. 8/10 Bethany Cox