An opera-thriller about the corrupting force of power.

Rampant ambition, unbridled lust for power and mysterious oracles – these are the ingredients of the psychological opera-thriller and the first of the three unique creative unions between Giuseppe Verdi and William Shakespeare.

Throughout his life, Giuseppe Verdi was an ardent admirer of William Shakespeare, the globally celebrated Elizabethan playwright. When in the summer of 1846 the Italian master sought the subject for his tenth opera, he ultimately opted for Macbeth. A supreme operatic dramatist, Verdi recognised how much potential the story of the corrupting force of power offered. In Macbeth, he started pursuing the path towards musical drama, in which singing reflects the characters’ psychology and inner emotions, with the dramatic content being far more important than bel canto.

Author: Giuseppe Verdi

State Opera Chorus
State Opera Orchestra
Pupils of the Olga Kyndlová Ballet School

Approximate running time: 2 hours 50 minutes, 1 intermission (20 minutes) minutes

Language: In Italian, surtitles in Czech, English

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