The production was directed by Daniele Abbado, who took the opera’s theme of the enslavement of the Jewish people as his cue to give the opera a 20th-century setting. The chorus and orchestra, expertly led by Nicola Luisotti, an experienced master of Verdi’s music, have also won high praise from the critics.It is the towering figure of Plácido Domingo whose arrival, in the words of the Financial Times, "has crowned the Royal Opera's new Nabucco with a welcome aura of celebrity. ... Domingo exudes grandeur and authority, taking command of the role..." Thus Nabucco from the Royal Opera House in London takes its place alongside other recordings on Sony Classical from the opera repertoire that have earned acclaim in the specialist music press and among the public.