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On February 23 of last year, Naomi Wolf,  author, feminist and former advisor to Bill Clinton and Al Gore published a remarkable essay, “Have the Ancient Gods returned?” In it she quotes Jonathan Cahn’s book The Return of The Gods[i]

          “Having accurately traced the lineage of pagan worship and pagan forces, Cahn makes the case that they were never overcome by the embrace in the West of Christianity; but rather that they were pushed to the margins of Western civilization; weakened by our covenant with YHWH, or with Jesus, depending on whom we are.

Cahn argues that these negative but potentially powerful forces have been dormant for two millennia, by virtue of the Western Judeo-Christian covenant. And that they have now taken this opportunity, of our turning away from God, and they have returned.

We, thus, are the house that has been cleaned — by the covenant with the Judeo-Christian commitment. But we subsequently abandoned the house, he maintains, and left it vulnerable; open, for negative energies to re-enter.”

And then Wolf concludes that

          “There may well indeed be negative forces re-appearing or emerging into daylight from out of their less visible domains, whom we, after two millennia of Judeo-Christianity, have literally forgotten, at least in Western civilization, how to identify. It may well be that these negative forces are highly complex, extraordinarily powerful, and stunningly well organized…. There have been times that YHWH’s warnings to us, as the Tribes of Israel, were borne out. A generation that was disobedient to God’s instructions, which insisted on worshipping the Golden Calf, was allowed by God to die in exile from the Promised Land; a new, innocent generation had to be born before the Israelites could enter that land. Later, after due warnings from the Lord, and innumerable warnings from His prophets, ranging from Jeremiah to Isaiah, we did get deported; the First Temple was destroyed; and we were sent into exile in Babylon. We did weep by the rivers of Babylon, in our exile…

“These pagan forces may indeed once again have gained a foothold again on our planet.

“What feels intuitive to me is that God is at the limit of His patience with us.

“And He has said,

Okay, you want to do it yourself?

Do it yourself.

And He let us go.”[ii]

Naomi Wolf has connected  the condition of today’s Western civilization with Israels’ concerns in Verdi’s great opera Nabucco, now playing so magnificently at the Metropolitan Opera.

The Kingdom of Judah, one of the two Hebrew kingdoms that emerged after the reign of Solomon, found itself in a constant state of religious and political flux. The surrounding nations and their various gods threatened assimilation through intermarriage which consequently led to periods of idolatry and unfaithfulness to Yahweh, whose first commandment is “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Isaiah and Jeremiah were God’s messengers, often standing alone against the tide of popular opinion warned alliances with pagans and reliance on foreign gods. They called the people to repent, warning that failure to do so would lead to exile. Meanwhile God was preparing his means of punishment.

In Babylon, the rise of Nebuchadnezzar II, brought territorial expansion through military conquest. His rule was marked by significant architectural achievements and the expansion of Babylon’s influence over the ancient Near East, making him a prominent figure in Judah’s destiny. Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar II in 586 BC: a tragic culmination of years of disobedience and disregard for the prophetic warnings.[iii]

Judah’s royal family, nobles, artisans, and skilled workers were forcibly removed from their homeland and taken into Babylonian captivity. They were strangers in a foreign land, grappling with the loss of their homeland and the culture shock of a new civilization. Their temple was destroyed, and their focus shifted to Torah study and prayer, laying the groundwork for Rabbinic Judaism. The synagogue emerged as the new center of Jewish communal life.

“One of the most poignant reflections of the exile is found in Psalm 137. The Psalmist captures the deep sorrow and yearning for Jerusalem, expressing the sense of loss and longing that characterized the exilic experience. Expression of Sorrow and Hope: Psalm 137 poignantly expresses the exiles’ sorrow and longing for Jerusalem. Its verses convey not only the pain of loss but also the enduring hope for return and restoration. This psalm has become a timeless expression of the pain of displacement and the hope for eventual return to one’s homeland.”[iv]

The psalms inspired Verdi’s “Va pensiero.”, a masterpiece of operatic choral composition and a highpoint in his beautiful, prophetic opera of warning.

The great Hebrew chorus was not the only change made by Verdi and his librettist. Temistocle Scola, as they constructed the plot from Biblical history. Nabucco’s plot is pure invention based on major historical events with the Jewish diaspora.

Nabucco is divided into four parts, each of which is headed by a subtitle and a brief quotation from the Old Testament

Part I: Jerusalem

“Thus, saith the Lord: behold I will give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon: he will burn it with fire.”

The Hebrews have been defeated in battle by the Assyrians, led by Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar). But the High Priest of the Hebrews, Zaccaria (Dmitry Belosselskiy), comforts his people with the knowledge that a valuable hostage has fallen into their hands: Fenena (Maria Barakova), the daughter of their enemy, Nabucco[v]. The Hebrew prince Ismaele (SeokJong Baek) is in love with her. The two are about to elope. Suddenly when an enemy force breaks in, led by Abigaille (Liudmyla Monastyrska), another supposed daughter of Nabucco. She is also in love with Ismaele, who doesn’t return her affection. When Zaccaria raises his dagger against the hostage Fenena, Ismaele stops him. Having liberated Fenena, Nabucco orders the sack of Jerusalem. The Hebrews curse Ismaele, branding him a traitor.

Part II: The Wicked Man

          “Behold the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury; it shall fall upon the head of the wicked.”

The scene changes to Babylon, where the Hebrews have been sent into bondage. Here Abigaille learns that she is not the natural daughter of Nabucco but only a slave, whom the king has adopted. For this reason, the heir to the throne is Fenena, not her. This gives Abigaille two reasons to hate: Nabucco for preferring Fenena, and Fenena as her rival for Ismaele’s love. Abigaille has had enough when she learns from the Assyrian High Priest of Baal[vi] that Fenena has freed the Hebrews. The throne cannot go to Fenena. The High Priest has consented to spread the rumor that Nabucco is dead and proclaims Abigaille queen. However, Nabucco is alive and furiously bursts onto the scene. He goes so far as to curse the Babylonian god who led them to treason. He concludes that there are no other gods, either Hebrew or Assyrian. The only god that they all must worship now is him, Nabucco. Lightning strikes him from the sky, stunning the king into madness, and blasting the crown from his head. Immediately Abigaille picks it up and proclaims herself queen.

Verdi had always wanted to create an opera based on Shakespeare’s King Lear. Nabucco is as close as he got: an old dispossessed king, and his two, rather than three, daughters, one whom he loves, who cares for him, and the other his tormentor and successor.

Part III: The Prophecy

“The wild beasts of the desert shall dwell in Babylon, together with owls; and hoopoes shall dwell therein.”

Nabucco, still stunned and insane,[vii]  is visited by Abigaille who insists that he sign the decree that condemns all Hebrews to death, among them her despised traitor sister, Fenena. No longer shall Fenena, but Abigaille, be queen. Nabucco is shocked: Fenena must be queen—Abigaille is only a slave! In a previous scene, Abigaille had found the paper that declared her true identity. Now she destroys it in front of Nabucco.

Part IV: The Broken Idol

“Baal is confounded: his idols are broken in pieces.”

The fate of Fenena and the Hebrew prisoners is now sealed. It is here that they raise to heaven their longing for their lost homeland with in the famous chorus, “Va pensiero.” Nabucco, also imprisoned, watches his daughter Fenena walk to her execution. He hears the cry of his warriors who have remained loyal. He is released, knocking down the Babylonian idol, Baal, and freeing the Hebrews as well. The king, no longer mad, and Abigaille, self-poisoned, decide to worship the Hebrew god. Abigaille dies after asking Fenena for forgiveness.

The production is a revival of Elijah Moshinsky’s 2001 production, of which Anthony Tommasini in The New York Times stated:

         “Mr. Moshinsky’s traditional staging is like a series of still tableaus. The characters seem not caught up in events, but stuck in place as history swirls by…The most debated element of the production will no doubt be the set designs of John Napier. Against a bare black background, Mr. Napier has erected a massive, rotating, multilevel structure that on one side depicts the world of Jerusalem, built from blocks of brownish stone, and on the other the world of Babylon, carved out of blackish bronze. On all sides the set is tiered with stairs. Operagoers who like their Verdi monumental may find the set grand and granitic. But when it starts to spin, with motors whirling and choristers holding stylized poses on its various plateaus, the creaky set can seem a rotating heap of junk.

At times the production comes together effectively, as in Act III, when the captured Hebrews, resting from enforced labor on the banks of the Euphrates, recline against the tiered stone walls and sing the great chorus of hope, “Va Pensiero.” This is the essence of early Verdi: just a soaring melody, mostly sung in unison, and an undulant, elegant oompah-pah orchestral accompaniment, beautifully rendered here.”

In 2021 Mr. Elijah Moshinsky died of “Covid-related” illness and the Met Opera audiences have had to sit through hundreds of drab gray, warehouse-like stage settings. As a result, as restaged brilliantly by Moshinsky’s assistant Daniel Rigazzi, Nabucco dazzled as a reminder of to what Grand Opera should aspire. Mr. Rigazzi’s command of all the fundamentals of play direction complement very nicely conductor Daniele Callegari’s obvious love for Verdi’s music and careful modulation of the score.

The setting of John Napier clearly contrasts the humble values of God’s people with the covetous Baal-worshiping richness of the Babylonians. Andrene Neoitou’s fabulous costumes follow suit, with expensive fabrics for both set of worshipers, using plain muted pastel colors for the Hebrews and deep-hued flamboyant brocades for the Assyrians. Lighting designer Howard Harrison gave dynamic visualization to the changing focus and atmospheres of the complex plot. The production succeeded in making Nabucco’s often confusing plot not only clear but thoroughly compelling.

Musically the stars were the Met chorus, under the inspiring leadership of Donald Palumbo. They were indeed, as Rossini observed, not a mere chorus, but a wonderful collection of soloists singing in unison.

The title character was embodied and sung to perfection by George Gagnidze, who handled his dramatic character changes with ease and aplomb, all the while maintain his sure control of Verdis’ masterful music. His nemesis and daughter Abigaille could not have a better interpreter than Liusdmyla Monastyrska. The huge vocal shifts were accomplished with unbelievable ease, and her fury knew no bounds. The character’s tender moments were likewise revealed with perfection. The good daughter Fenena was vocally contrasted to Abigaille by the striking fine actress/singer Maria Barakova. Her boyfriend Ismale revealed a clarion voice as sung by SeokJong Baek, making his long-awaited Met debut. It was worth the wait, for the audience reveled in his work on stage. He knocked the role out of the park, as they say. Likewise did Dmitry Belosselskiy as the High Priest Zaccaria.

During the late unfortunate “pandemic” short video clips would pop up on the internet, showing Italians on their balconies singing across the town streets and squares, “ Va pensiero” to their fellow isolated neighbors . They found great hope and comfort in Verdi’s great hymn to the soul of the exile. Today there are many exiles in their own country, some from the country they once knew, some from their workplace, some from their school, some even from their families.

Let Nabucco spur you to think of them as our contemporary exiles. If you can sing, sing Verdi’s chorus. If you can’t sing, recite the lyrics as a prayer:

Go, thoughts, on golden wings;
Go, settle upon the slopes and hills,
where warm and soft and fragrant are
the breezes of our sweet native land!
Greet the banks of the Jordan,
the towers of Zion …
Oh my country so beautiful and lost!
Or so dear yet unhappy!
Or harp of the prophetic seers,
why do you hang silent from the willows?
Rekindle the memories within our hearts,
tell us about the time that has gone by
Or similar to the fate of Solomon,
give a sound of lament;
or let the Lord inspire a concert
That may give to endure our suffering.

[i] Jonathan Cahn, Return of the Gods. Frontline, 2022.

[ii] Outspoken with Dr Naomi Wolf [email protected]

 

[iii] Sanuel S. Han, The Babylonian Exile: A Comprehensive Exploration from Pre-Exile Antecedents to the Enduring Legacy. Amazon, 2023.

 

[iv] Samuel S. Han, The Babylonian Exile: A Comprehensive Exploration from Pre-Exile Antecedents to the Enduring Legacy

 

[v] The historical Nebuchadnezzar had but one daughter, Amytis, and six sons, none of whom Verdi includes in his plot. Verdi was always most interested in the relationship between fathers and daughters.

 

[vi][vi][vi] Cahn, Jonathan. The Return of the Gods. Frontline, 2022, p, 34.

 

“To the nation of Israel, Baal was the embodiment of paganism and of all pagan gods. He was the epitome of all that was not God and all that warred against Him. Baal was the other god, the substitute god, the instead of God. He was Israel’s anti-God. He was the god that Israel turned to when it turned away from God. He was the god who separated Israel from its God, who drew it away, who made it forget the God of its foundation.”

 

[vii] According to the book of Daniel Nebuchadnezzar was insane for seven years.