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Title	Nabuccodonosor
Category	Concert/wind/brass band
Subcategory	Overture, arrangement
Instrumentation	Ha (concert/wind band)
Format	PrtStm (full score and parts)
Publisher's article no.	KL 394
Price	112.00 EUR (incl. 10 % Austrian VAT)
Composer	Verdi, Giuseppe
Arranger	Kliment, Hans
Difficulty level	3
Duration	7:50
Additional info/contents	A4 Format mit Partitur
Sample sheet music	click here
Sample score	click here
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Programme notes: The premiere at La Scala in Milan on 9 March 1842 ushered in the great triumphal march of the young Verdi's opera Nabucco (Nabuccodonosor) around the world. The Italians of that time understood very well that the biblical event was a symbol of the subjugation of their own fatherland. Verdi became the epitome of the aspirations for an independent Italy. Nabucco became a forward-pushing, inspiring freedom opera of incendiary significance at the time. The overture already hints at the main moments of the plot. "Simplicity, force and fire form the moving elements". The power and dynamics of this often explosive music are still inspiring today, but it also allows room for the most poignant emotional tones, for example in the "Prisoners' Chorus" that is heard in the overture. Giuseppe Verdi's first opera, Oberto, premiered at La Scala in Milan in November 1839. Verdi had already moved to Milan with his family some time before. The success of Verdi's first opera was remarkable. The well-known publisher Ricordi bought the rights and the director of La Scala commissioned Verdi to compose three more operas. Thus followed "King for a Day", a cheerful opera, similar in theme to Adolphe Adam's opera "If I Were King", which, however, was not premiered until 1852 in Paris. Incidentally, the libretto used by Verdi had already been set to music in 1812 by the less well-known Adalbert Gyrowetz. The failure of this second opera was unfortunately clear. It remained at the premiere, and after the first performance in 1840, the opera was removed from the programme. In addition, there were serious personal strokes of fate, the loss of his beloved wife as well as of his son and daughter within a fairly short time, which caused Verdi to vow to himself not to write any more operas, indeed to give up composing altogether. The making of "Nabucco " As is well known, things were to turn out differently. Bartolomeo Merelli, the director of La Scala in Milan, succeeded in snatching Verdi out of his depression. He convinced, persuaded, even almost forced Verdi to compose an opera again. One can almost say that Verdi's first resounding success, the opera "Nabuccodonosor", the title of which was very soon shortened to the now familiar "Nabucco", was thus written almost against the composer's will. Once again, we are dealing with one of the special cases of luck in the history of music. Temistocle Solera had already offered the libretto to Otto Nicolai, composer of the "Merry Wives of Windsor", but Nicolai refused. Merelli now directly imposed Solera's libretto on Verdi, who was to transform it into a masterpiece of musical theatre. "According to Verdi's own account, his first attention fell on the chorus of the exiled Hebrews, "Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate", which left an indelible impression. I flashed through the verses that followed and was powerfully taken by them, all the more so because they were a paraphrase of the Bible, which I had always loved above all things. Spent sleepless nights reading through the whole libretto over and over again. In the months that followed - this verse today, that one tomorrow, a note here, a whole phrase there' - the opera' gradually came into being. In the autumn of 1841, Verdi presented the freshly composed opera to the theatre director Merelli. However, it was to be some time before the first performance, because Merelli had already decided on the programme for that season and there was no more room for the first performance of "Nabucco". But in the end, Verdi's self-confidence in his compositional skills won out, and this was to prove justified. Its premiere and triumphal march around the world. Nabucco" had its triumphant premiere at La Scala in Milan on 9 March 1842. At the revival in autumn, there were no fewer than 57 performances of this opera, which had never happened before in the history of La Scala. "Nabucco" very quickly spread Verdi's name and compositional fame throughout Italy and soon throughout the world. In 1843, Vienna was already performing this first masterpiece by Verdi and Lisbon also included the opera in its repertoire. In 1844, Barcelona, Berlin, Corfu, Stuttgart, Oporto and Malta followed. In 1845, it was the turn of Paris, Hamburg, Marseille and Algiers, and the following year "Nabucco" was performed for the first time in Copenhagen, Constantinople, Budapest and London. In the period up to 1851, the opera houses of Havana, Bucharest, New York and Brussels followed, as well as Prague, Lviv, Buenos Aires, Zurich and St. Petersburg. The abbreviated title of the opera "Nabucco" became established in the early years. Verdi's other successful operas spread all over the world in similarly rapid succession, so that as early as 1862 one could read that Verdi's music was "heard from one end of Europe to the other". A few words about the librettist Temistocle Solera, who lived from 1815 to 1878. He first appeared in 1837 with a volume of poetry. Solera was also active as a composer, however, and in 1839 a "Hymn to Melody" set to music by him was premiered at La Scala in Milan. Solera provided several opera librettos for Verdi and had already begun with "Oberto". He also wrote the libretti for the "Lombards", the next great success of 1844, as well as for "Giovanna d'Arco", based on Schiller's play, and finally for "Atilla". Regarding the libretto of "Nabucco", it is said that Solera associated it with his own national feelings: "Solera took the material for his libretto from a ballet performed at La Scala in 1838, which in turn was based on a French play. He was a composer, a poet and, as an Italian patriot, had clashed with the Austrian police; the pronounced sense of national identity in "Nabucco" was largely his own ingredient to its sources." On the content of the opera The opera "Nabucco" Is set in ancient Babylon and Jerusalem of the time of 587 BC. In the first act, we are in Jerusalem, where the Hebrews fearfully await King Nabucco's and lament their fate. To the general fate of the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people is added the private, individual fate of love. Ishmael, the nephew of the Jewish king, loves Nabucco's daughter Fenena, who is in the hands of the Jews in Jerusalem and is considered a pledge of peace. But Abigail, who believes herself to be Nabucco's first-born daughter, also wants to possess Ishmael and is delighted to be able to deliver Fenena to the approaching Nabucco. Ishmael rescues Fenena from Nabucco's murderous sword, Fenena now reveals herself as Nabucco's first-born daughter and father and daughter are now united. Nevertheless, Nabucco swears grim persecution against the Jews. At the beginning of Act II, we find ourselves in the Babylonian royal palace. Nabucco has offered his rightful daughter Fenena the reign and she favours the Jews. This infuriates the priest of the god Baal and Abigail in particular. This leads to Abigail accepting the royal crown offered to her by the priest of the god Baal. They want to spread the rumour that Nabucco has fallen in the war. After a transformation, we find ourselves in another part of the royal palace, where the high priest of the Jews Zacharias prays for enlightenment. For he must protect Ishmael from his own countrymen, the Jews, who think he is a traitor. Abigail comes and wants to snatch the royal crown from Fenena and put it on herself. But then Nabucco appears. In his boundless delusion, he wants to be worshipped as a god from now on, but Zacharias and Fenena, who now professes to be Jewish, do not want to accept him. A thunderbolt punishes the Babylonian king, he falls into madness and Abigail triumphantly places the royal crown on her head. In Act III, Abigail rages and reigns as queen, the death sentences for Fenena and the Hebrews are signed by her. But Nabucco refuses to consent to Fenena's killing and Abigail has him arrested. The Jews sit by the rivers of Babylon and mourn their homeland, which is musically expressed in the world-famous "Chorus of the Captives". Zechariah believes in the victory of the Jewish people. The Lion of Judah will rise triumphant. In Act IV, Nabucco is saddened to see his daughter Fenena being led to the place of execution. Then, full of despair, the Babylonian king prays in last hope to Jehovah, the God of the Jews, and lo and behold, madness leaves him. Nabucco takes up the sword to kill the daughter of the king. But Nabucco arrives just in time and at the same time the idol of Baal collapses. Abigail is hit by debris from this statue and dies, but before she does so she asks for forgiveness and for Fenena and Ishmael to be united. Zechariah concludes with the greatness of his, the true, God. The music, its effect "Simplicity, force and fire form its moving elements. The overture already hints at the main moments of the plot. Expressively saturated recitatives, sometimes resulting in closed scene complexes, build bridges between the musical numbers filled with melodic content. A main accent of the effect lies on the ravishing choruses, which merge with the solo voices in the large-scale finales. Verdi's contemporaries felt in these choruses the call of a political ideal aimed at national unification of a torn Italy. Even without this topical moment, the glow of the tonal language, breaking from within, is captivating." It should certainly be noted that Verdi used wind and percussion to great effect in this opera, which was admittedly not always to the critics' liking later on. However, this justifies playing this overture in an arrangement for wind orchestra. Furthermore, Verdi repeatedly uses a "banda", i.e. wind band music, as music on or behind the stage in this opera. King of the Babylonians Nabucco The Babylonian king Nabucco is a historical figure. King Nebuchadnezzar (meaning "God Nebo, protect my heir son") in the language of the Jews and Arameans is shortened by the Greeks and in the "Vulgate", an early Latin translation of the Bible, to King Nabuccodonosor, in the title of the opera to "Nabucco". There were two Babylonian kings of this name. The older one reigned from about 1125 to 1104 BC. He was the most important ruler of the 2nd Dynasty of Isin, freed Babylonia from forced rule and waged successful war against Assyria. However, this is not the one referred to in the opera, but rather the second king with that name. Nebuchadnezzar II reigned from 605 to 562 BC. He came from the Chaldean dynasty. He successfully asserted himself against Egypt's claims to power, for example in Syria and Palestine. In the course of these wars, he led the Jewish people into Babylonian captivity. In 597 he had already conquered Jerusalem and ten years later he extinguished the independent Jewish state. This king also built his residence in Babylon with lavish splendour, including his city palace with its "Hanging Gardens", one of the wonders of the ancient world. With the "Median Wall", Nebuchadnezzar finally shielded his country against attacks from outside. His outstanding personality already inspired Jews and Greeks to associate his person with legendary lore. Verdi as a symbol of national forces Verdi obviously composed his "Nabucco" just at the right time. The Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people was seen as a parable for Italy's bondage, precisely under Habsburg rule. "In the 19th century, "Nabucco" was seen less as a work of art than primarily as a political opera. After the end of the Napoleonic era, the Spanish Bourbons had returned to southernItaly, while northern and central Italy once again came under the direct or indirect influence of the Habsburg Empire. But the ideas of the French Revolution remained alive in Italy, and there were uprisings and assassinations that brought punitive actions from the authorities. In this climate of oppression and resistance, of resignation and hope, an opera about the liberation of a subjugated people had to act as a moral appeal to remember one's own strength in order to bring about a change in political circumstances." Just as in the opera "Nabucco" the Jews are able to return home to their own country as free citizens at the end, so the Italians longed for a kingdom of their own. Verdi's name thus became a symbol, even a political battle cry. If Verdi was allowed to live, people shouted "Viva Verdi" - "Long live Verdi!" - meaning Vittorio Emanuele, the desired king of Italy. Of course, declaring one's allegiance to one's own kingdom of Italy was politically forbidden and punishable. But no one could forbid the rapturous applause and cheers for Verdi, even if it was sometimes obvious that the enthusiasm was not for the composer but for the desired united Italy and its king. Thus, the "Prisoners' Chorus" has also become an unofficial anthem of Italy and has remained immensely popular to this day, even in the most diverse arrangements.

	Format	EUR
	Nabuccodonosor (concert/wind band), full score and parts	112.00
	Nabuccodonosor (concert/wind band), full score
	Grandioso, audio CD	20.50

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