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Giuseppe Verdi / III. Romanticism

Nabucco

1842 · Opera in four parts; soloists, chorus and orchestra

Strepponi sang Abigaille at the La Scala première. In Va, pensiero, the chorus of the captive Hebrews sings a single melody.

5 min

Recording

Act III: Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorateChorus and Orchestra of La Scala; Tullio Serafin; Norberto Mola, chorus master · June 1955, La Scala, Milan
4:40
In “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate”, from Act III of Verdi’s Nabucco, the captive Hebrews in Babylon sing of the Jordan and the fallen towers of Zion, with the whole chorus on a single melody. The Chorus of La Scala sings it under Tullio Serafin.
Listening notes
1. Orchestral introduction, Largo
  An orchestral introduction, marked Largo. Short rising figures and emphatic repeated chords precede the singers’ long melody, and the introduction ends with a pause.
2. Unison chorus
  Sopranos, altos, tenors and basses sing the same melody in octaves. Solera’s text sends their thoughts towards the hills of home, the Jordan and Zion’s ruined towers.
3. First performance, La Scala, 1842
  The opera was first performed at La Scala on 9 March 1842 as Nabucodonosor. Giuseppina Strepponi, later Verdi’s wife, was among the singers. The same theatre’s chorus and orchestra made this recording with Serafin in June 1955.
4. Final stanza and closing bars
  The final stanza asks for a song that brings strength in suffering. From bar 41 Verdi repeats its last words, al patire virtù, with a decrescendo in the chorus. The chorus ends on its final chords.
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