Shakespeare's murderous king gets the Verdi treatment — and it's gloriously unhinged.
This hard-edged postmodern production of Giuseppe Verdi's haunting masterpiece brings the story of Shakespeare's bloody tragedy to vivid life, characterized by spine-tingling atmospherics and a triumphant debut by American baritone Thomas Hampson in the title role. This Zurich Opera House production also features a mesmerizing turn by Paoletta Marrocu as the beautiful, power-hungry Lady Macbeth, while striking sets and costumes further enhance the duality of the main character whose rise and fall mirror the darkest impulses of man. Replete with supernatural mystery, sexual tension, and violent power plays, this timeless story remains gripping and chilling for today's audiences and boasts some of the most astonishing music of Verdi's legendary body of work.
Acting
Hampson's debut crackles with dangerous vulnerability.
Production
Striking sets that mirror Macbeth's fractured psyche.
Score
Some of Verdi's most astonishing, chilling music.
Director
David Pountney
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Verdi was obsessed with Shakespeare, calling him 'the father of all drama' — this was his first adaptation, written in 1847 and revised in 1865.
Thomas Hampson, an American baritone, made his sensational debut in this Zurich production — the role became a signature for him.
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