★★★ Released in 1842, “Nabucco” was the first great success of Giuseppe Verdi’s career. The opera inspired by the biblical story of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, continues to be a title programmed by theaters around the world, but it had been absent from the Colón stage for more than three decades.
Stefano Poda’s staging, stripped back and timeless, appealed to the predominance of white in scenery and costumes, with a successful handling of the masses. The use of the rotating disc and a functional choreography for dramatic situations allowed some scenes of great plasticity and beauty. However, the repetition and monotony of the resources used reduced the effectiveness of the proposal, which lost its appeal over the course of the drama.
On the musical level, Carlos Vieu carried out a remarkable work of concertation, with a good performance by the Stable Orchestra and an impeccable balance between the voices and the pit. The Choir, of great protagonism in this opera, offered a decidedly anthological performance, which had its climax in the famous “Va, pensiero”.
Mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Barrientos (Fenena) and bass Rafał Siwek (Zaccaria), both artists with generous singing and dramatic presence, were the most prominent figures in an uneven cast. Baritone Sebastián Catana (Nabucco) exhibited a thin voice and soprano Rebeka Lokar (Abigail) showed a generous vocal flow, although pronounced vibrato and erratic pitch marred her performance.
Barrientos, Siwek, the orchestra, the choir and their respective directors, Vieu and Miguel Martínez, got the biggest ovations in a return with lights and shadows of this great Verdi creation to the stage of the Colón.
