Opera in 4 acts
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave & Andrea Maffei after William Shakespeare
World premiere March 14 1847, Teatro della Pergola, Florence
Sung in Italian with German & English surtitles
Introductory talks (in German) begin in the Holzfoyer 30 mins before curtain up and appear here shortly after opening night
There's a chamber music concert at 11am on December 22, inspired by Verdi's Macbeth.
Conductor Thomas Guggeis / Simone Di Felice
Macbeth Nicholas Brownlee / Domen Križaj
Banco Kihwan Sim / Andreas Bauer Kanabas
Lady Macbeth Tamara Wilson
Macduff Matteo Lippi
Lady-in-waiting Karolina Bengtsson / Caterina Marchesini°
Malcolm Kudaibergen Abildin
Doctor Erik van Heyningen
°Member of the Opera Studio
Macbeth and his friend Banquo encounter weird women, who greet Macbeth with his inherited title of Thane of Glamis, the Thane of Cawdor and the future King of Scotland. They prophesy that Banquo’s descendants will ascend the throne one day. Messengers bring news that the King had Cawdor executed for treason and bestowed his title on Macbeth. The prophesy seems to have come true. Macbeth tries to fathom what this could lead to. He tells Lady Macbeth about the encounter in a letter. When King Duncan comes to stay the night, Lady Macbeth pressurises her hesitant husband to kill the old man in his sleep. Macbeth overcomes his qualms and commits murder, but is seized by terrible fear and guilt. It’s left to Lady Macbeth to take the knife back to Duncan’s quarters and smears his guards with blood so suspicion will fall on them. When Banquo and Macduff find the murdered King next morning, universal horror breaks out. Act 2 Malcolm, King Duncan’s son, fled to England, making him seem guilty of having murdered his own father. The crown passes to Macbeth, but the childless couple are obessed with fears that Banquo’s descendants might inherit it one day. They decide to get rid of him and his son Fleance. Macbeth’s hired assassins kill Banquo; but Fleance manages to escape. A party’s being held to celebrate the new ruling couple, but Macbeth starts seeing ghosts and shocks the guests. His wife tries in vain to restore the atmosphere with a rousing drinking song. Macbeth’s lapses cause consternation; the party’s over. Macbeth decides to consult the weird women again. Act 3 Macbeth visits the mystics, who are celebrating a witches Sabbath. He forces them to reveal the future. Three apparitions give him to understand: He should beware Macduff; no man, »born of woman«, could endanger him; he can be as bloodthirsty as he likes, as long as Birnam wood doesn’t move towards him. His renewed question about whether Banquo’s descendants will rule too is answered in another apparition. He passes out. Lady Macbeth galvanizes her husband. They decide: Macduff and his family must die; and anyone else who might present a danger to them. Macbeth now feels invincible. Act 4 Scotland’s turned into a slaughterhouse: refugees in Birnam wood complain bitterly that the tyrant Macbeth’s to blame for their loved ones deaths. Macduff’s distraught that he didn’t protect his family; he was on the run and in hiding when the murderers struck. Malcom arrives to liberate them, calling on everyone to end this reign of terror by cutting off branches and hiding behind them. Her lady-in-waiting and doctor hear Lady Macbeth, while sleepwalking, revealing all the crimes she and her husband committed. Constantly talking about a spot of blood that won‘t go away. Macbeth arms himself against Malcolm and his men. He now realises how much he is hated. Then he’s told his wife‘s dead; and Birnam wood is advancing. The prophesies were ambiguous: When Macduff confronts the hated enemy he tells him he wasn’t born but »from his mother’s womb untimely ripped«. He kills Macbeth. The battle is won; Malcolm is anointed King.
What Macbeth thinks are prophesies are expressions of his own suppressed dreams and fears. Goaded on by his wife, who’s no less ambitious, he commits murder, which leads to more murders, creating a gruesome system of oppression. But the tyrant Macbeth and his wife are plagued by pangs of conscience. They’re both psychologically shattered - in different ways. In the end, the oppressed populace rebel, putting an end to an unjust regime.
In a domestic setting surrounding this childless, murderous couple, mechanisms of violent rule become apparent that can be found on a larger scale: World politics are reflected in a private sphere. From this perspective the story of a medieval Scottish despot seems frighteningly relevant today.
In 1847 Verdi wrote, inspired by his idol William Shakespeare, a largely experimental score, which broke the shackles of hitherto time-honoured forms. Instead of tailoring the subject matter for the stage, as was usual, the composer made his music fit the play, which he tried to mirror as closely as possible. This resulted in a thrilling, sombre opera.
