Verdi: Nabucco - Muti (2 CDs)

Verdi: Nabucco
Matteo Manuguerra (Nabucco), Renata Scotto (Abigaille), Veriano Luchetti (Ismaele), Robert Lloyd (Gran Sacerdote), Elena Obraztsova (Fenena), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Zaccaria), Kenneth Edwards (Abdallo), Anne Collins (Anna)
Ambrosian Opera Chorus & Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti

Verdi holds a special place in Riccardo Muti’s heart. Here he conducts the explosive opera whose nostalgic chorus, ‘Va, pensiero’, turned the composer into a hero of the Risorgimento, the movement for the unification of Italy. In the title role of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, Matteo Manuguerra is a baritone in the great tradition, while Renato Scotto brings both formidable temperament and bel canto delicacy to Abigaille.