<p>The other night, Georja and I screened the new movie <strong><em>Maria,</em></strong> <strong>Angelina Jolie’s</strong> portrayal of diva <strong>Maria Callas</strong> in the twilight of her life.</p><p>Jolie’s portrayal is admirable. The story is tragic. And the remastered excerpts of Callas singing some of the most loved arias of all time are thrilling.</p><p>But the thing that moved me to offer this gift to you is not an aria. And Callas wasn’t among the performers. When the end credits for <em>Maria</em> began to roll, I recognized immediately my favorite moment from all the operas I’ve ever heard: “The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves,” which is the popular title of “Va Pensiero” from Giusesppe Verdi’s <em>Nabucco.</em></p><p>Giuseppi Verdi by Giovanni Boldini</p><p>In the podcast, I explain this scene in the plot of the opera, along with why this song, which became the anthem of a rebellion in Italy, demonstrates powerfully why historical fiction is always all about today.</p><p>What does the government of Italy's 50th prime minister <strong>Silvio Berlusconi</strong> have to do with <strong>Giuseppe Verdi</strong>, three-thousand-year-old Hebrew slaves, the reunification of Italy, and conservative politicians' agenda to de-fund not only the arts but also federal support of public education?</p><p>Let’s take a field trip to the opera to find out!</p><p><em>'“Va Pensiero” synchronization rights licensed frm Audio Network Limited via Sounddogs.com.</em></p><p>It’s about the One Percent of yesteryear. The <a target="_blank" href="https://amzn.to/41UO2hX">century-old hidden message</a> in the painting would have scandalized this prominent family.</p><p></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://geraldeverettjones.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2">geraldeverettjones.substack.com/subscribe</a>