verdi 182 years ago

Verdi | Nabucco | Va, pensiero - Chorus Hebrew Slaves (1842)

"Va, pensiero" (Italian: [ˈva penˈsjɛːro]), also known as the "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves", is a chorus from the opera Nabucco (1842) by Giuseppe Verdi. It recollects the period of Babylonian captivity after the loss of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE.

The libretto is by Temistocle Solera, inspired by Psalm 137. The opera with its powerful chorus established Verdi as a major composer in 19th-century Italy.


The full incipit is "Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate", meaning "Go, thought, on wings of gold".

Verdi
1813 - 1901