“Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi

Yesterday we saw  “Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi. The opera was amazing; the costumes and the decorations were very colorful, eye-catching, and mesmerizing. The voices and the music were unforgettable. This opera captures the voice of the ancient Hebrews and their struggle as exiles. I was not familiar with the context of this opera before, and I had no idea that this famous opera depictures the relationship between the king of Babylonia and Hebrew slaves.  I was even more surprised when I learned that “Va Pensiero,” the unofficial national anthem of Italy, was one of the highlights of this particular opera. The most unprecedented thing happened to me during the third act – the solo singer, who was supposed to sing from the audience – was sitting next to me. Naturally, I had no clue, and when he started singing, sitting just 5 inches from me, I got startled.  It was so unexpected! Who would have thought that I was lucky enough to get a ticket next to the performer. That was an unforgettable experience; the singer’s voice was so strong that I felt like a bolt of lightening was going through me. My chair was almost shaking by the power of his voice.  Not to mention that everybody in the entire opera house was glancing in my direction. After he finished his performance, the crowd’s cheers directed towards the singer swept me over. I was shocked and happy.