Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was a composer of operas from the Italian romantic period. He was considered, then, the greatest nationalist composer of Italy.

He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century. His works are frequently performed in Opera Houses throughout the world, and transcending the limits of genre, some of his themes have been, for a long time, deeply rooted in the popular culture.

Among these, Va, pensiero, the choir of slaves Hebrews, from the opera Nabucco.

Nabucco is an opera in four acts, written in 1842. It tells the story of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. 

For having been written during the Austrian occupation in the north of Italy, because of the many analogies that it presents, aroused the Italian nationalist feeling.

The choir of the slaves Hebrews, in the third act of the opera, has become a song-symbol of the Italian nationalism of the time.

During the month of March of the current year [2011], at Rome Opera Theater, this choir led the singers and musicians to a great emotion. And the audience present, to delirium, in a huge demonstration of patriotic faith.

The maestro Riccardo Muti had just finished governing the famous choir of slaves, Va, pensiero. The audience applauded incessantly and cried bis!

The maestro, then, turns to the audience and recalls the significance of the patriotic Va, pensiero that besides its intrinsic beauty, which is wonderful, has a huge emotional appeal, until today, among the Italians.

Riccardo asks the audience to sing it now, with the orchestra and the choir of the theater, as a manifestation of patriotic protest against the threat of death contained in the planned cuts of culture budget.

He governs the audience, while the orchestra and the choir bind together in the execution of the hymn, which verses we can thus translate:

Fly, thoughts, with thy golden wings. Fly, land on the slopes and on the top of the hills, where the sweet breezes of the seasoned christmas soil warm and soft!

Greet the banks of the Jordan river, the knocked down tower from Jerusalem...

Oh, my beautiful and lost homeland! Oh, such expensive and fatal memory!

Golden Harp of great poets, why are you so quiet now?

Rekindles the memories in our breasts, speaks to us of the good times that are gone!

Translates into music our suffering, let yourself be inspired by the Lord so that our pain becomes virtue!

*   *   *

The cameras wander around the audience, showing the emotion, the anointing. Whoever knew the lyrics, sang. Those who did not know it, followed the melody.

It was a true prayer. A prayer to the Lord, supplication to the authorities. An example of patriotism.

A maestro who claims, cries and encourages the people to cry out for the maintenance of the good, the beautiful and the culture.

Someone who, conscious of its citizenship, goes above the call of duty as an artist.

Uses of the stage, the audience, to clarify, to awaken consciences, to fight for the ideal which defends.

Hope it is repeated in the world, in all nations, such grandiose example it is so that the root do not get lost, so that the culture, the art and the beautiful is preserved.

Spiritist Moment Team, based on images
from the video of the link
http://youtu.be/g_gmto6jnrs.
December 4.2013.