"Nothing is so powerful," Victor Hugo declared, "as an idea whose time has come." In the world of opera just now, that idea seems to be the resurrection of Giuseppe Verdi's "Attila."

Rarely performed outside Italy, Verdi's 1846 work is suddenly — well, not everywhere, but nevertheless a conspicuous presence on the American opera scene.

In February 2010, New York's Metropolitan Opera presented "Attila" for the first time. Last fall, it was performed by the Washington (D.C.) Concert Opera. The San Francisco Opera will mount a production in June.

And this month Attila arrives in Seattle as part of Seattle Opera's 2011-12 season.

Set in the fifth century, "Attila" relates how the title character, leader of the Huns, is vanquished by a Roman woman warrior, Odabella.

The opera enjoyed great popularity with Italians during the 1840s and 1850s, and not entirely for its artistic merit. In an early scene, the Roman general Ezio proposes a bargain to Attila, offering him Rome's empire in exchange for Italy.

"You may have the universe," Ezio sings, "but leave Italy to me."

Italians were, at the time Attila appeared, struggling to win control of the northern part of their country from Austria, and they took the second part of Ezio's declaration as an expression of their yearning for independence. Early audiences went wild hearing it, sometimes interrupting performances with shouts echoing the phrase "Resti l'Italia a me" ("Leave Italy to me").

But the enthusiasm with which Italians greeted Attila was not matched elsewhere. The opera's nationalist overtones had little meaning in London or New York, both of which mounted productions within four years of "Attila's" Venice premiere, nor in other parts of Europe.

Verdi himself also bears some responsibility for his work not enjoying wider success. Beginning in the 1850s, he produced a series of masterpieces that includes such audience favorites as "La traviata," "Rigoletto" and "Aida." These and other great operas of the composer's maturity inevitably overshadowed his earlier efforts.

"Attila" never fell entirely out of the active operatic repertory, but it has been something of a rarity, especially in this country. Until recently, that is.

Which raises the question: Why is this opera now turning up in several American cities? Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins acknowledges that "Attila" has some relevance for our time.

Among other things, Jenkins says, "this is an opera about warfare. More particularly, it's about an unconventional guerilla-style army taking on an establishment and its better-trained soldiers. You have only to look at the Arab Spring to see how timely that is."

The topical aspect of "Attila" is one reason Seattle Opera's production will use modern dress, with the Hun fighters in fatigues and carrying machine guns.

But resonance between the opera and recent world events goes only so far. In contrast to the coalitions that overthrew Mubarak and Gaddafi last year, Attila is a tyrant and a threat to civilization.

In any event, the opera's story is not the chief reason behind Seattle's production. Rather, it was musical considerations that persuaded Jenkins to present the work.

Above all, "Attila" provides a vehicle for the splendid bass John Relyea, who has distinguished himself in several previous appearances with Seattle Opera, most recently as the title character of Massenet's "Don Quixote" last season.

The part of Odabella also showcases a singer able to meet its considerable demands. Ana Lucrecia García, who sang the title role of "Aida" here in 2008, returns to Seattle as the Roman heroine.

Jenkins considers "Attila" a bridge between Verdi's early operas and his more naturally expressive later work. "The red-blooded quality, the vitality of Verdi is there," Jenkins observes. "There are moments in Attila where the music is as beautiful as anything Verdi ever wrote."