Moshinsky's Staging of Verdi's Nabucco Had Third Met Revival 2004-2005

Summary: Australian opera director Elijah Moshinsky's 2000-2001 staging of Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco had its third revival at Met Opera in the 2004-2005 season.

Act 3 scene 1 of Verdi's Nabucco is set in the Hanging, or Terraced, Gardens of Babylon, famed as one of Seven Wonder of the World; 1572 engraving of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon as part of series on Seven Wonders by 16-century Dutch painter Maarten van Heemskerck (June 1, 1498-Oct. 1, 1574), represents the "artist's imagination" rather than "real facts," according to Lithuanian landscape architect Antanas Stančius and Lithuanian art history professor Petras Grecevičius in "Influence of Ancient Mesopotamian Aesthetics of Gardens/Parks and Water Installations on the Development of Landscape Architecture" (2014, page 19; Figure 4, page 20): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Metropolitan Opera held the third revival of Australian opera director Elijah Moshinsky's 2000-2001 new staging of Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco in the 2004-2005 season, as an immediate successor of the second revival's occurrence in the 2003-2004 season.

On Thursday, March 8, 2001, Elijah Moshinsky (Jan. 8, 1946-Jan. 14, 2021) debuted his new production of Nabucco by 19th-century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) at Met Opera. The new production received nine performances in its 2000-2001 debut season. The Australian opera director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Feb. 4, 1980, in the opera company's 153rd performance of Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera.

One season after its debut season, Moshinsky's production received its first through third revivals in successive seasons. The first revival opened St. Patrick's Day, Monday, March 17, 2003, as the first of six performances in the 2002-2003 season. The second revival opened Monday, April 5, 2004, with 10 performances in the 2003-2004 season.

As follower of the second revival, the third revival took place in the next season, 2004-2005. The third revival opened Valentine's Day, Monday, Feb. 14, 2005, with six performances. The second through closing, sixth performances were scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 19; Saturday, Feb. 26; Wednesday, March 2; Saturday, March 5; and Tuesday, March 8.

James Levine (June 23, 1943-March 9, 2021) conducted the first three performances of the third revival for his second reprisal. The American conductor had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, June 5, 1971, in the opera company's 539th performance of Tosca by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

James Levine shared the conductorship with Joseph Colaneri (born Dec. 14, 1955), who conducted the third revival's last three performances for his first reprisal. The American conductor had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Nov. 18, 2000, in the opera company's 1091st performance of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Nikolai Putilin sang the title role in all six of the third revival's performances. The Russian baritone had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Oct. 26, 1995, as Count Tomsky in the opera company's 35th performance of The Queen of Spades by Russian late Romantic era composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840-Nov. 6, 1893).

Maria Guleghina sang Abigaille, disappointed in love and deceived in birth, in all six of the third revival's performances for her second reprisal of the role. The Soviet-born Armenian-Ukrainian operatic soprano had made her Met Opera debut Jan. 3, 1991, as Maddalena in the opera company's 150th performance of Andrea Chénier by Italian composer Umberto Giordano (Aug. 28, 1867-Nov. 12, 1948).

Gwyn Hughes Jones appeared in the third revival's first three performances for his second reprisal of Ismaele, nephew of the King of Jerusalem, seemingly in a love triangle with two royal sisters, but Abigaille turns out to be slave-born, not princess-born, whereas Fenena is King Nabucco's daughter. The Welsh operatic tenor had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, March 28, 2001, in the sixth performance of the first revival of Moshinsky's staging of Verdi's Nabucco.

Gwyn Hughes Jones shared the role with Ronald Naldi (born 1985), who sang Ismaele in the third revival's last three performances. The American lyric tenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, April 18, 1983, as Princess von Werdenberg's Major-domo in the opera company's 288th performance of Der Rosenkavalier by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sep. 8, 1949).

Wendy White (born 1953) appeared in all six of the third revival's performances as Babylonian Princess Fenena, who loves the same person as her supposed sister, only Fenena's love is reciprocated, whereas Abigaille's is one-sided, and Fenena really is a Babylonian princess whereas Abigaille discovers that she is not a princess. Wendy White's appearances as Fenena mark her third reprisal of the role. The American mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 16, 1989, as Flora in the opera company's 731st performance of Verdi's Traviata.

Paata Burchuladze (born Feb. 12, 1955) sang Zaccaria, High Priest of the Jews, in all six of the third revival's performances for his first reprisal of the role. The Republic of Georgia operatic bass had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Sep. 25, 1989, as Ramfis in the opera company's 938th performance of Verdi's Aida.

Claudia Waite appeared in all six of the third revival's performances as Anna, Zaccaria's sister, for her second reprisal of the role. The American soprano had made her Met Opera debut Monday, Dec. 14, 1998, as the First Lady in the opera company's 326th performance of Die Zauberflöte by Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Julien Robbins (born Nov. 14, 1950) sang the Babylonian High Priest of Bel (Ba'al) in all six of the third revival's performances. The American bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Oct. 29, 1979, as the King in the opera company's 875th performance of Verdi's Aida.

Eduardo Valdes sang Babylonian soldier Abdallo in all six of the third revival's performances for his second reprisal of the role. The Puerto Rican tenor had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Feb. 7, 1994, as a Young Man in the opera company's 10th performance of Britten's Death in Venice.

The production team for Moshinsky's staging of Verdi's Nabucco comprised John Napier, set designer; Andreane Neofitou, costume designer; and Howard Harrison, lighting designer. English costume and set designer John Napier (born March 1, 1944) and Cyprus-born, London-raised costume designer Andreane Neofitou made their Met Opera debuts Thursday, March 8, 2001, in Moshinsky's new Nabucco production. British lighting designer Howard Harrison had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Jan. 11, 1996, in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of The Makropulos Case, composed by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928) and directed by Elijah Moshinsky.

After its third revival, Moshinsky's production was absent from the next six seasons (2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011). Then the fourth revival took place, with 12 performances in the 2011-2012 season.

American maestro Joseph Colaneri conducted the last three performances of the third revival of Elijah Moshinsky's staging of Verdi's Nabucco in the 2004-2005 season as his first reprisal of the production's conductorship: JosephColaneri, via Facebook August 7, 2015

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Act 3 scene 1 of Verdi's Nabucco is set in the Hanging, or Terraced, Gardens of Babylon, famed as one of Seven Wonder of the World; 1572 engraving of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon as part of series on Seven Wonders by 16-century Dutch painter Maarten van Heemskerck (June 1, 1498-Oct. 1, 1574), represents the "artist's imagination" rather than "real facts," according to Lithuanian landscape architect Antanas Stančius and Lithuanian art history professor Petras Grecevičius in "Influence of Ancient Mesopotamian Aesthetics of Gardens/Parks and Water Installations on the Development of Landscape Architecture" (2014, page 19; Figure 4, page 20): Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hanging_Gardens_of_Babylon.jpg

American maestro Joseph Colaneri conducted the last three performances of the third revival of Elijah Moshinsky's staging of Verdi's Nabucco in the 2004-2005 season as his first reprisal of the production's conductorship: JosephColaneri, via Facebook August 7, 2015, @ https://www.facebook.com/1093683223992894/posts/1093686687325881/

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