‘Fly away, thought, and settle on the rolling hills, where the warm and gentle breeze of our homeland blows...’

These words open Va pensiero, the world-famous Slave Chorus from Verdi's Nabucco. A moment of pure simplicity and direct emotion, in which a people sings about what seems lost forever: a home, freedom, dignity.

In the video, choir director Jan Schweiger talks about the special role of the choir in Nabucco, how the music is structured, and why Va pensiero still resonates so strongly today.

Top photo: Caroline Parodi - Théàtre de Genève

Video: Mario De Munck for Opera Ballet Flanders