New production :
Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège

The Story

Three witches predict a royal destiny for the valiant Macbeth. With the assistance of his wife, he succumbs to the lure of power and takes advantage of a stay at the castle of King Duncan to brutally murder him. An infernal spiral of crimes gnaws away at the sanity of Lady Macbeth who gives in to madness.

Verdi versus Shakespeare

This first confrontation between Verdi and the immense Shakespeare was the start of a genuine artistic love affair between the composer and the playwright. It was followed by the tragedy Othello and the comedy Falstaff, before the musician took with him to his grave a hypothetical King Lear which is said to have haunted his musical desires for several decades. Verdi immediately wished his work to be equal to the drama and explored new ways of composing by enlarging stages and using audacious harmonies to underline the dark side of the tale. Through its aesthetic aspects, Macbeth represents an essential turning point in the history of romantic opera.

A remarkable work, Macbeth does not propose a leading role to the traditional opera tenor, nor does it include an impassioned love story. By focusing on the complex psychological aspects of the characters and by writing them as consumed by fantastic visions, psychic disorders and madness, Verdi provides the singers with a formidable range of emotions.

This new production by the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège will round off the season on a powerful note.

Introduction to performances: curtain-raisers

All the opera performances are preceded by an educational introduction open to all. They take place 30 minutes before the start of the performance, in the company of an opera specialist to provide a pertinent presentation of the work.