”modern, original, and subtly staged by Ilaria Lanzino.”

3sat

 

“Daring and refreshingly idealistic, a powerful evening of staging that takes Verdi’s profound themes seriously without moralizing and even allows for a touch of sarcastic wit.”

Opernwelt

 

“Acclaimed for a sensitive interpretation of Nabucco at the Rhine Opera in Düsseldorf. Intelligent, consistent, psychologically nuanced, and original, the young Italian director Ilaria Lanzino and set designer Dorota Caro Karolczak bring the violent Old Testament struggle for existence to life—between the victorious Babylonian king Nabucco and the Hebrews—while giving it a modern, timeless framework. This approach captivates, provoking reflection on current parallels without forcing them on the audience. Lanzino and Karolczak avoid overtly topical war imagery from Ukraine or Gaza, instead skillfully choreographing the choirs through landscapes of rubble, barricades, and flames, past the balcony of the white-golden Nabucco palace, and later deep below into a Führer-bunker-like space.

In the end: thunderous applause for all. (…) The audience in Lanzino’s version at the Rhine Opera doesn’t get bored for a single second. (…) The evening is gripping, not least because Lanzino’s direction focuses on intense, at times electrifying psychodrama. Sometimes the tableaux become martial but mostly remain touchingly simple and direct, avoiding pomp and pathos. It ignites enthusiasm in all tiers. In the end, the director and set designer received a shower of bravos.”

Westdeutsche Zeitung

 

“Nabucco at the Rhine Opera: A newly staged triumph. The Italian director Ilaria Lanzino has crafted a crowd-pleasing success with Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco. (…) Instead of accepting the black-and-white portrayal of the oppressed Hebrews versus the evil Babylonians, Lanzino brings a nuanced perspective to the narrative. Her message? Regardless of sides, the people suffer when rulers clash. Consequently, the director has the ultimate freedom hymn Va pensiero sung jointly by opposing groups. For in this interpretation, the junta around the Babylonian tyrant Nabucco and the clique surrounding the vengeful Zaccaria are equally ruthless. Enthusiastic, prolonged applause.”

WAZ

 

“With irony and playful exaggeration, Ilaria Lanzino approaches Nabucco in her staging at Düsseldorf’s Rhine Opera. Director Ilaria Lanzino takes the interpretative initiative in her production at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, doing so neither dogmatically nor with a moralizing tone but with irony and the comic art of exaggeration. This cheerful approach fits wonderfully with Verdi’s preference for major keys, even in sad or dramatic moments. (…) The premiere audience warmly embraced this witty yet thoughtful approach.”

Rheinische Post

 

“The resonance surrounding Ilaria Lanzino’s reinterpretation of Verdi’s Nabucco is one of unanimous enthusiasm. (…) The stage settings at varying heights were playfully implemented, wonderful. From a psychological perspective, the childhood memories and how they were integrated were fascinating. Everything felt cohesive, vibrant, and full of life. On which tyrant this might reflect is left open, but the director has unmasked him and turned it into a class conflict. Rarely do the rulers stand on the same level as the people – here perfectly resolved. A highlight: the goosebump moment during the prisoner’s chorus. (…) The director brings the deeply human aspect to the forefront, grounding the opera in the present. These new perspectives are exactly what’s needed. The Rhine Opera positions itself fantastically with this production.”

Kunst.Kultur.Digital

 

“The result: brilliant. (…) The director’s concept undeniably succeeds (…) an extraordinary acting achievement. (…) Direction, set design, costumes, and music are seamlessly intertwined in this production. Ilaria Lanzino has meticulously thought through her directorial work, from the overarching structure to the smallest detail, both scenically and musically. (…) The successful interplay of all elements ensures the success of this thrilling and modern production.”

Klassikbegeistert

 

“Impressive and strikingly relevant. (…) A masterful production with a poignant contemporary reference. (…) The connections between the storyline and current events in the Middle East are unmistakable. Therefore, it is not easy to find a contemporary staging for this material that does justice to the opera while sensitively translating its themes into the present day.

Ilaria Lanzino’s staging achieves exactly this. It is gripping how she brings this opera to life, especially as the futility of war and the insurmountable nature of the interpersonal conflicts being told are powerfully highlighted.”

Klassikfavori

 

“Peoples, hear the signals! Director Ilaria Lanzino is less interested in the conflict between two peoples than in the gap between rulers and the ruled. This works astonishingly well. In the end – with crowns of shame on their heads and red clown noses on their faces – the united Hebrew and Babylonian political elite stand tied to a stake on the pyre. Meanwhile, at the conference table where the leaders of the Jews and Babylonians previously negotiated their power interests over the heads of the ruled, representatives of the people have taken their seats. It almost evokes thoughts of council democracy. There’s no doubt that director Ilaria Lanzino at the Düsseldorf Opera prioritizes the gap between elites and the masses far more than the conflict between two peoples. Especially since the ruling classes of both Babylon and Israel only consider their people as disposable resources. As shown in a video played during the overture, the political elites of both sides are even close to signing a peace treaty. Something intervenes, though the reason is unclear. Later, Abigaille and her faction ally with Zaccaria and his group to overthrow Nabucco. As a result, Israeli and Babylonian henchmen plant dynamite under the bridge from which the king commands the people. Completely secularized, God’s lightning bolt transforms into a detonation of explosives. Reconciliation in the name of revolution.

Even if this places Babylonian imperialism at a disadvantage, Lanzino’s reinterpretation of the central Nabucco conflict – from the struggle between two peoples to socio-political fractures between elites and the ruled – ultimately works. The final solidarity and revolutionary uprising of the oppressed from both nations add a utopian element to the piece.”

Concerti.de

 

“Ilaria Lanzino and Vitali Alekseenok, conducting the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, received prolonged standing ovations on Sunday at the premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco at the Düsseldorf Opera. (…) A gripping Nabucco (…) celebrated with lengthy and exuberant applause.”

Mundo Clasico

 

“While the story is slightly reinterpreted here and there, it remains fairly close to the original libretto until the intermission. Only during the prisoner’s chorus – in which the Hebrews traditionally dream of freedom – do the two peoples unite in this production, beginning to liberate themselves from their rulers. This interpretation works surprisingly well. Also effective is the approach of exploring the relationship between Abigaille, Fenena, and Ismaele by depicting them as children, showing how the Hebrews and Babylonians once peacefully played together. This clever touch vividly explains how Abigaille transformed from an underprivileged slave girl into a power-hungry figure willing to stop at nothing. (…) In the end, the premiere audience expressed their approval of this interpretation with enthusiastic applause.”

Der Opernfreund

 

“Acclaimed season opening at the Rhine Opera. The young, successful director Lanzino, born in Pisa, Italy, gives the story of the Babylonian ruler Nabucco’s war against the Hebrews and their high priest Zaccaria a unique, contemporary touch.

Lanzino’s interpretation is particularly intriguing, subtly altering Verdi’s libretto: Zaccaria is more of a military leader than a high priest, and the two peoples are pawns in his and Nabucco’s pursuit of power, helplessly caught in the midst of the conflict. Together, they sing the prisoner’s chorus Va pensiero – traditionally reserved for the Hebrews – demonstrating their longing for freedom by reaching out across barriers and barricades. A beautiful directorial choice (…) The opera and extra choir managed – again a testament to the director – to convey individual profiles with refined details. (…) A delighted audience rewarded the massive stage ensemble, the directorial team, and the orchestra with sustained jubilation.”

Düsseldorfer Blog

 

“A masterpiece. Director Lanzino tells Nabucco with wit, without sacrificing seriousness. She proves how Verdi’s battlehorse Nabucco can be both entertaining and as relevant as ever with humor and precise social commentary. (…) And her ability to weave Abigaille’s fury into a narrative of childhood humiliation, conveyed through child doubles, is a stroke of genius, revealing profound human dimensions. This Verdi is entertainment in the best sense.”

Klassikfavori

 

“Compelling, modern staging in Düsseldorf. (…) Special attention was paid to the mass scenes, with countless individual stories being told. (…) Lanzino has created a convincing narrative.”

Seenandheard

 

“The director repeatedly incorporates scenes showing the two girls as children. This significantly softens the simplistic good-versus-evil schema of the libretto.

Through these choices, Ilaria Lanzino effectively balances the opera’s various layers – state conflict, family drama, historical epic, and contemporary relevance. (…) The utopian vision Ilaria Lanzino builds is deeply moving (…) a must-see.”

OMM

 

“Lanzino has worked profoundly with the choir. We see more than the usual gestures, and the beautifully sung Va pensiero ends in a dramatic freeze-frame at the center of the stage, framed by piles of evocative scrap. In the second act, we witness the power-hungry Abigaille in an extended, elegant cellar salon, plotting her plans. Soon after, she feigns sympathy, brushing the sparse hair of the dethroned Nabucco, who has survived a bomb attack. Effectively, the insurgents attach explosives to the bridge, which then collapses spectacularly.”

Oper! Magazin