Nabucco

In the third installment of their chronological survey of the complete Verdi operas, the forces of Parma's Teatro Regio take on the composer's first acknowledged masterpiece, a treatment of the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews in the sixth century B.C. Of course, there are embellishments: the Assyrian king is struck mad when he claims divinity, he struggles with his daughter Abigaille over the crown, and a romance blossoms between a Jewish warrior and another Babylonian princess. Embraced by nationalist Italians as a thinly veiled call to arms against their foreign rulers, this 1842 opera cemented the composer's wider European reputation. Displaying the real beginnings of Verdi's mature style, Nabucco has retained a firm place in the repertory. Imaginatively conducted by Michele Mariotti—who fashions an especially refined reading of the famous choral lament “Va, pensiero”—this 2009 performance benefits from veteran Leo Nucci in the title role, slightly frayed of voice but still a powerful stage presence, as well as Dimitra Theodossiou as the hardhearted Abigaille. The remaining principals are solid if unexceptional, the chorus is splendid, and the minimalist sets are serviceable. The only serious drawback here is the costuming, a bewildering mixture of period and modern garb. Presented in DTS 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include an introduction to the opera. Better than the 2004 staging in Piacenza (VL-7/06), this is recommended. (F. Swietek)