Nabucco | Savonlinna Opera Festival, Olavinlinna Castle, Finland, 2024
Giuseppe Verdi’s breakthrough opera performed in the spectacular medieval setting of Olavinlinna Castle, overlooking Finland’s largest lake. This Savonlinna Opera Festival production (July 6-26, 2024) reimagined Verdi’s 1842 opera as an ecological manifesto, with director Rodula Gaitanou stating: ‘Climate change is the most serious war of our time and it is being waged against nature.’
Conducted by Ville Matvejeff with soprano Marigona Qerkezi as Abigaille and Gabriele Viviani in the title role, the production featured set and costume design by takis, transforming the castle’s outdoor courtyard into a landscape reflecting environmental crisis. The design captured the opera’s dual setting—ancient Babylonian conquest mapped onto contemporary ecological destruction—while serving the demanding choral scenes including the famous “Va, pensiero.”
Nabucco premiered at La Scala in 1842, establishing Verdi as Italy’s leading opera composer. This 2024 production demonstrated how classic opera can address urgent contemporary issues, with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon theme proving particularly apt for ecological reinterpretation. The production returns for the 2026 festival season.
Creative Team: Director: Rodula Gaitanou | Designer: takis | Conductor: Ville Matvejeff | Composer: Giuseppe Verdi