The other night, Georja and I screened the new movie Maria, Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of diva Maria Callas in the twilight of her life.
Jolie’s portrayal is admirable. The story is tragic. And the remastered excerpts of Callas singing some of the most loved arias of all time are thrilling.
But the thing that moved me to offer this gift to you is not an aria. And Callas wasn’t among the performers. When the end credits for Maria began to roll, I recognized immediately my favorite moment from all the operas I’ve ever heard: “The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves,” which is the popular title of “Va Pensiero” from Giusesppe Verdi’s Nabucco.
Giuseppi Verdi by Giovanni Boldini
In the podcast, I explain this scene in the plot of the opera, along with why this song, which became the anthem of a rebellion in Italy, demonstrates powerfully why historical fiction is always all about today.
What does the government of Italy's 50th prime minister Silvio Berlusconi have to do with Giuseppe Verdi, three-thousand-year-old Hebrew slaves, the reunification of Italy, and conservative politicians' agenda to de-fund not only the arts but also federal support of public education?
Let’s take a field trip to the opera to find out!
'“Va Pensiero” synchronization rights licensed frm Audio Network Limited via Sounddogs.com.
It’s about the One Percent of yesteryear. The century-old hidden message in the painting would have scandalized this prominent family.
