May in Busseto – Nabucco

Nabucco Returns to Verdi's Home

There is a place, in the Bassa Parmense region, where listening to Verdi takes on a very special meaning: Busseto, in the province of Parma, in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, is the town where the young Giuseppe Verdi grew up, born nearby in Roncole. It is here, on the intimate stage of the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi, that the Maggio a Busseto festival stages Nabucco, the opera that consecrated the composer in 1842 and whose famous chorus "Va, pensiero" has become one of the most beloved pieces of Italian music.

A Theatre That Is Already a Spectacle

The performance takes place in a theatre that is worth the journey in itself. Inaugurated on August 15, 1868, within the 13th-century Rocca Pallavicino, in Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, the Theatre was designed by architect Pier Luigi Montecchini and can accommodate just 300 spectators. Verdi, despite contributing a considerable sum to its construction, never wanted to set foot in it: a historical irony that makes the idea of attending one of his operas within these walls even more evocative.

A Production Dedicated to Young Talents

What distinguishes this production of Nabucco is its educational vocation. The production is entrusted to the soloists of the Carlo Bergonzi Verdian Academy, coached by baritone and maestro Marco Camastra, thus highlighting the new generations of Verdi interpreters. Completing the ensemble are the Corale San Rocco conducted by Marialuce Monari and the Cantieri d'Arte orchestra, under the baton of maestro Simone Maria Marziali.

Busseto, Verdi's Capital

Attending an opera in Busseto means immersing yourself in an entire territory dedicated to Verdi: from the birthplace in Roncole Verdi to Villa Verdi in Sant'Agata, from the Casa Barezzi Museum to the Rocca Pallavicino. The spring festival Maggio a Busseto ideally anticipates the more prominent autumn event, the Verdi Festival, which celebrates the composer every year between Parma and Busseto. An opportunity to discover the Bassa Parmense, a land of culture, music, and famous gastronomic products such as culatello di Zibello.