Changing perspective

In Giuseppe Verdi's “Nabucco”, two peoples are caught in the grip of the war that their rulers have proclaimed: The Babylonian king Nabucco and Zaccaria, the high priest of the Hebrews, do not budge an inch from their opposing viewpoints in their existential conflict, while the daily grind of war constantly brings new suffering. Taking Verdi's fateful opera as a starting point, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, together with an expert in diplomacy, undertakes a change of perspective and asks what might have happened if the opera's protagonists had not forgotten how to talk to each other: How do you approach each other when the seemingly hopeless situation dictates immobility? How do you find your way back into conversation when loud slogans and speechlessness set the tone in the face of a deadlocked situation? What bridges can be (re)built through tact and mutual respect? Musical contributions included.