Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedy as grand opera—ambition never sounded this fatal.
Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
Acting
Keenlyside's haunted baritone; Monastyrska's unhinged soprano.
Direction
Judd stages witches as silent film nightmares.
Production
Minimalist sets, maximum psychological dread.
Director
Sue Judd
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Verdi obsessed over Shakespeare; this was his tenth opera and first true tragedy. He wrote Lady MacBeth's role for a specific soprano with an 'ugly' voice he wanted for the character.
This 2011 Royal Opera House production deliberately evoked 20th-century dictatorships—Macbeth's banquet scene mirrors Stalinist paranoia.
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