Nabucco Overture (NCPE. Nieweg, Bradburd)

Giuseppe Verdi's opera “Nabucco” received its triumphant world premiere on March 9, 1842, at Milan's La Scala, marking the true beginning of Verdi's international fame. The work is based on the biblical story of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and the captivity of the Jewish people. The famous melody of the prisoners' chorus, "Va, pensiero," quickly became the unofficial anthem of the Italian Risorgimento, lending the work a political significance that extended far beyond the purely musical.

The opera's overture skillfully draws together the work's most important musical themes, unfolding a dramatic power that captivates audiences from the very first note. Verdi demonstrates masterful command in combining symphonic density with memorable melody, presenting the opera's full emotional range — from heroic pathos to tender lyricism — in concentrated form.

This edition of the “Nabucco” Overture was carefully edited by Clinton F. Nieweg and Nancy M. Bradburd as part of the New Critical Performance Edition (NCPE). It provides orchestras with a philologically reliable and practically performable foundation for this indispensable work from the early Verdi repertoire.