Verdi al fresco: vocalists perform ‘Nabucco’ chorus from Royal Opera roof

In this video, we enjoy a very special ‘al fresco’ (and, of course, Covid-aware) rendition of one of the best-loved pieces of music from the canon of Giuseppe Verdi. London’s Royal Opera Chorus perform ‘Va, Pensiero’ from Verdi’s opera ‘Nabucco’, positioned on the roof of the Royal Opera House.

‘Nabucco’ is the opera that is considered to have permanently established Verdi’s reputation as a composer, and follows the plight of the Jews as they are assaulted, conquered and subsequently exiled from their homeland by the Babylonian king Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar II).

And, as the video attests, ‘Nabucco”s best-known number is the ‘Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves’ – ‘Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate / ‘Fly, thought, on golden wings’, a chorus regularly given an encore in many opera houses when performed today.

The video is an excerpt from the ‘ROH Unmasked’ online series, which sees performances take place in rarely seen spaces of the Royal Opera House, and features pieces from Britten, Mozart, Wagner, Puccini, Gounod and Verdi. The series is available to the viewing public over April 23-May 23, 2021.

View the original video here.

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