Kanye Announces Nebuchadnezzar Opera
Kanye West has announced his first-ever opera, Nebuchadnezzar. West took to Twitter earlier today to post artwork of a golden program that seemed to feature an engraving of the titular Babylonian king. However, the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute later confirmed to Pitchfork that the particular engraving used in the artwork was in fact of King Darius I (Darius the Great), an ancient ruler of Persia.
Kanye’s opera is directed by Italian performance artist Vanessa Beecroft and will take place at the Hollywood Bowl on November 24. The event will also feature music by Kanye’s Sunday Service performers, as well as Peter Colins & Infinities Song. Tickets for the opera go on sale Monday (November 18). Find the Nebuchadnezzar artwork (designed by Nick Knight) below.
Last month, before the release of his most recent LP Jesus Is King, Kanye joined Zane Lowe for an interview on Apple Music’s Beats 1. During their chat, Kanye mentioned Nebuchadnezzar while speaking of his Yeezus tour. “[God] is saying, Let me take this Nebuchadnezzar-type character—Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, and he looked at his entire kingdom and said, I did this,” West said, adding, “I stood on the top of the mountain talking about Yeezus, saying, ‘I’m a God’—I had a guy dressed as Jesus.”
Read “5 Takeaways from Kanye West’s New Album, Jesus Is King” over on the Pitch.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
