Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin, 9 October 2024
Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco
Successful productions of Verdi’s operas are rare. The directors often lack the right approach to the work, as was widely complained about the recent Don Carlo at the Vienna State Opera, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov. What’s more, the music often comes under fire because conductors abuse the composer in order to make it more effective for the audience. They octave notes so that singers can shine in the high register, cut passages so that pieces are not too long, ignore the composer’s exact performance markings, and misinterpret accompanying figures as lively humtatas when, if interpreted correctly, they should sound as serious as, say, the accompaniment to songs by Franz Schubert.
The brilliant Verdi conductor Riccardo Muti has often complained about this and has put it right in his interpretations. But as the productions became more and more adventurous, he withdrew more and more from the opera business. Last autumn, however, he conducted Nabucco again in Ravenna in a semi-staged performance that was exemplary and as good as it gets. The new Nabucco in Berlin, the first premiere of the season at the Staatsoper, does not come close in many details, but it seems a stroke of luck, because here, for once, scenery and music go hand in hand, there is no distracting actionism on the stage, the stage does not radiate ugliness, and the singing and music are respectable.
Carmine Maringola’s set at least has a nice eye-catcher in the form of the Temple of the Hebrews, a golden installation sometimes decorated with flowers. With its honeycomb-like elements, it is no coincidence that it resembles a beehive. Director Emma Dante wanted to portray the Jews as a hardworking people, similar to bees. This association is very reminiscent of Hans Neuenfels, who portrayed the two enemy peoples, the Hebrews and the Babylonians, as bees in his production of Nabucco at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2000. In doing so, he made a mockery of the drama of oppression, war and captivity. Dante does not go that far. She takes very seriously the conflicts between the Babylonians and the Hebrews, which seem very topical in the light of current politics in the Middle East. In addition, the characters are dressed in sumptuous costumes inspired by antiquity (costumes: Vanessa Sannino), which is another eye-catching feature.
The focus of international interest in this production was, of course, Anna Netrebko as Abigaille, the supposed daughter of the Babylonian king. The high expectations were not disappointed, although the star soprano only appeared in four performances. Her great scene ‘Ben io t’invenni, o fatal scritto!….Anchio dischiuso un giorno‘ at the beginning of the second act, in which Abigaille discovers through a secret paper that she is the daughter of a slave, becomes the centrepiece of the Russian’s grandiose performance. Her intonation may slip a little in the few bars where she sings solo without the orchestra: She masters the rapid changes of register between the highest peaks and the lowest notes with a consistently beautiful tone like no other. Her soprano sound is full-blooded, big and dark.
Among the other protagonists, Luca Salsi shines in the title role. The baritone has worked with Riccardo Muti on several occasions, and his deep immersion in the text makes it clear. He convincingly expresses the megalomania of the Babylonian monarch, who wants to be worshipped as a god, as well as his transformation after painful developments, when he finally frees all the Hebrews, destroys the idol of Baal and reconciles both peoples.
Bertrand de Billy conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin through the score with a steady hand, largely following Verdi’s performance markings and confidently ensuring that the difficult ensemble and choral scenes fit together exactly. The fact that Dante places the chorus in front of the conductor and does not demand any scenic antics from them proves its worth. The tonal balance between chorus and orchestra, as well as their interplay, could have been severely compromised. Only the freedom chorus, ‘Va pensiero‘, could have sounded much quieter at the beginning, as the chorus merely formulates the utopian idea of freedom as if in a dream.
In general, the softer tones were a little lacking, especially as there were powerful voices on board, above all Mika Kares as Zaccaria, but also Marina Prudenskaya as Abigaille’s sister Fenena and Ivan Magri as Ismaele. All of them, as well as Anna Netrebko, often lacked the sotto voce required by Verdi.
Compared to the many unsuccessful new productions of the work in recent times, which have failed to catapult the plot into the present day, this Nabucco is a notable exception. Musically and scenically of a piece.
