Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar)

Nabucco, short for “Nebuchadnezzar”, is an Italian-language opera in four acts composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi. Under its original name of Nabucodonosor, the opera was first performed at La Scala in Milan in 1842. Nabucco is the opera that is considered to have permanently established Verdi’s reputation as a composer. The opera follows the plight of the   Jews as they are assaulted, conquered and subsequently exiled from their homeland by the  Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II. The historical events are used as background for a romantic and political plot. Wiktor Sadowski, born in Poland in 1956, is a Polish artist working in poster, illustration and painting. He graduated in 1981 from the Academy of Fine Arts after working in Henryk Tomaszewski´s studio. He has won several prestigious awards for his art, such as the Gold Medal, XI Biennale of Polish Posters, 1985. He is known for his brooding, surreal art. His list of clients expands far outside his native country to include both Europe and North America. He has created posters for theaters throughout the United States, including the New York City Opera, and illustrations for annual reports and publications such as Time, Glamour, the Washington Post and the New York Times.