When foretold by a trio of witches that he will ascend to the Scottish throne, the warrior Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hatch a murderous plot against King Duncan. Guilt, fear and loneliness engulf the couple after carrying out their plan, leading to a maelstrom of killings and madness¬. Yet it is only when Birnam Wood is revealed to be a hostile English army that Macbeth’s power finally crumbles.
In his opera based on the Shakespearian tragedy, Verdi describes the loss of human compassion, and the emptiness which this leaves behind. To better realize his intentions, the score sacrifices traditional forms for the sake of heightened expression – a pivotal development in opera towards greater vocal freedom.
Melodramma in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi Performed in Italian with German supertitles
Running time 3 hours
Premiere 03 Oct 2005
Musical Director: Paolo Arrivabeni
Staging: Philipp Himmelmann
Set Design: Johannes Leiacker
Costume Design: Bettina Walter
Lighting Design: Jan Seeger
Choir: Pablo Assante
Dramaturgy: Hans-Georg Wegner
Macbeth: Markus Marquardt
Banco: Georg Zeppenfeld
Lady Macbeth: Amarilli Nizza
Macduff: Sean Panikkar
Malcolm: Gerald Hupach
Medico: Tomislav Lucic
Dama di Lady Macbeth: Birgit Fandrey
Duncano (Stumme Rolle: Hajo Müller
Diener: Friedrich Darge
Mörder: N.N.
Herold: Martin Schubert
Erste Erscheinung: Matthias Beutlich
Zweite Erscheinung: Annett Eckert
Dritte Erscheinung: Kapellknabe
Saxon State Opera Choir
Staatskapelle Dresden
With generous support of the Foundation for Support of the Semperoper
