from Part II : L'Empio, Scene I of the Italian opera
Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto: Temistocle Solera
Role: Abigaille, slave, thought to be Nabucco's oldest daughter
Voice Part: soprano Fach: dramatic coloratura
Setting: the royal chambers in ancient Babylon
Synopsis: Abigaille has found the document that proves that she was not Nabucco's daughter but, rather, the daughter of a slave and one of Nabucco's wives who have both been put to death for her birth. In the recitative preceding the aria, Abigaille describes her deep desire for revenge but then, as she enters the aria, she changes the mood to talk about the love she feels for Ismaele.