Singing the Longing for Independence... Verdi's Breakthrough Work "Nabucco" Opens in April

First Seoul Metropolitan Opera production in 40 years since its Korean premiere
Depicts the biblical story of the "Babylonian Captivity"

The opera Nabucco, which stirred a longing for independence among Italians under Austrian rule, will be staged this spring at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts announced on February 25 that the Seoul Metropolitan Opera will present Giuseppe Verdi's opera Nabucco at the Grand Theater from April 9 to 12. This will be the first Nabucco production by the Seoul Metropolitan Opera in 40 years since its Korean premiere in 1986.

Nabucco is set against the biblical story of the Babylonian Captivity, in which the Babylonian Empire conquered the Kingdom of Judah in the 6th century BC, captured Jerusalem, forcibly relocated the Jews to Babylon, and held them in captivity for about 70 years. It premiered in 1842 at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, and is regarded as the work that instantly elevated Verdi to the ranks of Italy's leading composers. The chorus "Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate" in Act 3 is particularly famous. Expressing the sorrow of a people who have lost their homeland and their yearning to return, the piece is widely known as the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves." In 1901, at Verdi's funeral, thousands of people sang this chorus under the baton of Arturo Toscanini.

The opera centers on Nabucco, king of Babylon, his daughter Abigaille, and Zaccaria, leader of the Jewish people, and explores the desire for power, as well as questions of freedom and salvation. Nabucco's arrogance in challenging the place of God collapses into madness, and Abigaille's desire for the throne rushes toward ruin.

In this production, the role of Nabucco will be performed by baritones Yang Junmo and Choi Insik, and the role of Abigaille by sopranos Seo Sunyoung and Choi Jieun. The role of Fenena will be sung by mezzo-sopranos Kim Sunjung and Lim Eunkyung, the role of Ismaele by tenors Lee Seungmook and Yoon Jungsoo, and the role of Zaccaria by Jeon Seunghyun and Lim Chaejoon.

The production will be directed by Jang Seomoon, who previously directed the Seoul Metropolitan Opera's Rigoletto in 2022 and the original opera Tin Roof last year. Conductor Eden, the first Korean winner of the Besancon International Competition for Young Conductors, will lead the Hankyung Arte Philharmonic Orchestra. The Winner Opera Chorus and a citizen chorus of about 60 members will perform together.

Park Hyejin, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Opera, said, "This is a work that the Seoul Metropolitan Opera presented as a Korean premiere, and this performance is a meaningful stage where we encounter it again 40 years later," adding, "We hope you will look forward to the resonance of this piece, which embodies the communal voice of a magnificent chorus."

Director Jang Seomoon stated, "We will present an intense drama and dynamic staging so compelling that contemporary Korean audiences will not be able to take their eyes off it."