Macbeth - Opera North
23 April 2008 - 24 May 2008
23 & 26 April; 2, 14, 21, 24 May at 7.15pm
Giuseppe Verdi (1865)
NEW PRODUCTION
Macbeth is a successful warrior – the hero of his king, Duncan. But seduced by a dark prophecy that foretells of greater things for him, Macbeth becomes consumed by ambition. Caught in a spiral of violence, Macbeth and his lady descend into madness and despair.
‘One of mankind’s greatest creations’ is how Verdi described Shakespeare’s play. Determined to transmute as much of the weirdness and ferocity of the original text into music as possible he aimed to create a work of ‘extravagance and originality’. He succeeded spectacularly, producing a fantastically exciting drama, of which the famous chorus ‘Patria oppressa!’ is but one of many musical highlights.
Tim Albery is one of the world’s leading opera directors, and he has been responsible for some of Opera North’s most notable recent successes, including Madama Butterfly. Robert Hayward, who has already sung one of the great Verdi roles for us this season – Falstaff – returns in the title role, and the Italian soprano Antonia Cifrone makes her Opera North debut.
Sung in Italian with English titles. The performance lasts approximately 2 hours 45 minutes
Prices range from £9.50 - £57
Discounts available. Please contact Box Office on 0870 121 4901 for details.
Opera North