On his triumphal march through Italy, Attila, King of the Huns, sweeps through villages and towns, including Aquileia. While the surviving inhabitants flee to the sanctuary of the lagoons – founding Venice along the way – Odabella, the daughter of the overthrown ruler, fights back.
Impressed by her bravery, Attila falls in love with her. For her part, Odabella feigns an attachment to her father’s murderer, while secretly plotting revenge. With the help of the Roman general and imperial envoy Ezio, her lover Foresto intends to murder the King of the Huns by giving him a poisoned drink. However, Odabella thwarts Foresto plan, believing that only she has the right to take vengeance. Belonging to his early career, Giuseppe Verdi’s opera »Attila« is bursting with life and energy. In particular, Odabella’s opening aria as a »bellicose, strutting Amazon with a highly dramatic and virtuosic vocal part« reveals from the outset the dramatic intensity with which Verdi paints his characters. The complex and brilliant historical canvas – essentially a battle between the pagan Huns and Christian Italy – scintillates with its rousing heroic-military choruses, even more spectacular than those in »Nabucco« (1842). The opera is based on the romantic tragedy » Attila, König der Hunnen« (1808) by the great German playwright of the Romantic period, Zacharias Werner. Another composer drawn to this story was Ludwig van Beethoven, who even toyed with the idea of creating his own musical version. Verdi collaborated with both Temistocle Solera and Francesco Maria Piave on the libretto. Initially scheduled for the Venetian carnival season in January 1846, the date for the premiere had to be postponed by two months when the composer fell seriously ill. Dresden audiences now have the chance to enjoy »Attila« in this concert performance, conducted by Verdi-specialist Jordi Bernàcer.
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