Macbeth (Verdi)

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Work data
Title: Macbeth
Theater ticket for the premiere, 1847

Theater ticket for the premiere, 1847

Original language: Italian (1847) - French (1865)
Music: Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto : Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei
Literary source: Macbeth from Shakespeare
Premiere: 1) March 14, 1847

2) April 21, 1865

Place of premiere: 1) Teatro della Pergola Florence

2) Théâtre-Lyrique Paris

Playing time: approx. 2 ¾ hours
Place and time of the action: Scotland, 11th century
people

Spelling of the first version; behind the slash, if applicable, the spelling of the second version from 1865

  • Duncano / Duncan, King of Scotland (silent role)
  • Macbeth, General in King Duncano's Army ( baritone )
  • Banco / Banquo General in King Duncano's Army ( Bass )
  • Lady Macbeth, wife of Macbeth, (dramatic soprano )
  • Lady of the Lady Macbeth ( mezzo-soprano )
  • Macduff, Scottish nobleman, Lord of Fife ( tenor )
  • Malcolm, Duncano's son (tenor)
  • Fleanzio / Fleance, Banco's son (silent role)
  • Doctor (bass)
  • Servant of Macbeth (bass)
  • Sicario, killer (bass)
  • Aroldo, Herold (bass)
  • three apparitions (baritone, soprano, soprano)
  • Ecate / Hécate, goddess of the night (silent role)
  • Witches, ambassadors from the king, Scottish nobles and refugees, murderers, English soldiers, bards ( chorus )
  • Witches and Air Spirits (Ballet)

Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi . The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei based on the drama Macbeth by William Shakespeare . The premiere took place on March 14, 1847 in the Teatro della Pergola in Florence. A revised version was premiered on April 21, 1865 at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris.

action

Birgit Nilsson as Lady Macbeth, 1947

The action takes place in 11th century Scotland. It begins with the witches' first prophecy and ends with the death of Macbeth by Malcolm . With regard to the historical Scottish king , this period corresponds to his reign from 1040 to 1057. In the opera it appears, however, shortened to just under three months because only the beginning and end of his reign are discussed.

first act

First picture: a forest

Generals Macbeth and Banco return from a victorious battle. Witches prophesy that Macbeth Than will be the father of Cawdor and king, while Banco will be the father of kings. Messengers proclaim that the king raised Macbeth to Thane of Cawdor. Both commanders shudder.

Second picture: Macbeth's castle

Lady Macbeth reads a letter from her husband in which he reports the events and the arrival of the king. Macbeth himself arrives, he has hurried ahead of the king who wants to spend the night with him today. The power-hungry lady can persuade her husband to murder the king, who is just entering the castle with his entourage, in the night to promote the prophecy of the witches. After Macbeth completes the deed, Lady Macbeth stains the guards' clothes with blood to raise suspicion. When the murder is discovered, everyone is horrified and curses the perpetrator.

Second act

First picture: Room in Macbeth's castle

Macbeth has become king, but the prophecy that his throne will fall to Banco's heir does not let him calm down. He decides to have Banco and his son Fleanzio murdered.

Second picture: A park near the castle

The attack is only incomplete. While the killers kill Banco, Fleanzio escapes in the dark.

Third picture: Shiny hall

Banco's death by a murderer is reported to the king, who holds a splendid feast that evening. Macbeth hypocritically regrets Banco's absence. When he wants to go to its place, the spirit of the dead appears to him. The horrified king is stunned and has to be reassured by his wife. The guests shuddered away.

Third act

A cave

Macbeth asks the witches again about the future and his fate. They warn him against Macduff, but the king calms down quickly when he learns that no one who has given birth to a woman can overcome him and that his rule only wavers when the forest of Birnam advances against him. Lady Macbeth can easily persuade the king to destroy Macduff, his family, and other enemies.

Fourth act

First image: the barren border between Scotland and England

Macduff escaped and joined Malcolm's forces on the Scottish border. He swears bitter vengeance to Macbeth, who had his children killed. Malcolm orders that each of his soldiers when attacking Macbeth should carry a branch from the Birnam Forest as camouflage.

Second picture: Macbeth's castle

The doctor and the chambermaid wait late at night for the queen, who has made her bad conscience mad. On this evening, too, she appears to be wandering about the night and talking madly, confesses her deeds to the horrified eavesdroppers and dies.

Third picture: hall in the castle

Macbeth is indifferent to the death of his wife, but is furious when it is reported that the forest of Birnam is approaching him.

Fourth picture: A plain surrounded by hills and forests

On the battlefield, the king meets Macduff and learns that he was not born, but cut from his mother's womb. Macbeth's fate is fulfilled, he falls in a duel. Macduff and the warriors salute Malcolm, the new king.

Verdi: Macbeth - first act, second image - illustration for the 1865 performance in the Théâtre-Lyrique

layout

Music numbers

first act

  • No. 1. Preludio
  • No. 2. Introduction
    • Choir: Che faceste? Dite su! (Witches)
    • Scene: Giorno non vidi mai sì fiero e bello! (Macbeth, Banco, Witches, Messengers)
    • Duet: Due vaticini compiuti or sono ... (Macbeth, Banco)
    • Choir: S'allontanarono! - N'accozzeremo (witches)
  • No. 3. Cavatine Lady Macbeth
    • Scene: Nel dì della vittoria io le incontrai ... (Lady)
    • Cavatina: Vieni! t'affretta! (Lady)
    • Tempo di mezzo: Al cader della sera il re qui giunge (Servo, Lady)
    • Cabaletta: Or tutti cares, ministri infernali (Lady)
  • No. 4. Recitative and Marcia
    • Scene: Oh donna mia! - Caudore! (Macbeth, Lady)
    • march
  • No. 5. Great scene and duet
    • Big scene: Sappia la sposa mia (Macbeth, Lady)
    • Duet: Fatal mia donna! un murmure (Macbeth, Lady)
    • Tempo di mezzo: Allor questa voce m'intesi nel petto (Macbeth, Lady)
    • Cabaletta: Vieni altrove! ogni sospetto (Lady, Macbeth)
  • No. 6. Finale I.
    • Scene: Di destarlo per tempo il re m'impose (Macduff, Banco, Lady, Macbeth)
    • Sextet: Schiudi, inferno, la bocca, ed inghiotti (Macduff, Banco, Lady, Macbeth, Malcolm, Dame, Chor)

Second act

  • No. 7th scene and aria Lady Macbeth
    • Scene: Perché mi sfuggi, e fiso (Lady, Macbeth)
    • Aria: La luce langue ... il faro spegnesi (Lady)
  • No. 8. Choir and scene bancos
    • Choir: Chi v'impose unirvi a noi? (Killer)
    • Scene: Studia il passo, o mio figlio! ... (Banco)
    • Adagio: Come dal ciel precipita (Banco)
  • No. 9. Convito, Vision, Finale II
    • Convito: volley, o re! - Voi pur salvète (choir, Macbeth, Lady)
    • Brindisi: Si colmi il calice (Lady, choir)
    • Tempo di mezzo: Tu di sangue hai brutto il volto (Macbeth, murderer)
    • Apparizione and Brindisi: Che ti scosta, o re mio sposo (Lady, Macbeth, choir)
    • Quartet: Sangue a me quell'ombra chiede (Macbeth, Lady, Macduff, Dame, Chor)

Third act

  • No. 10. Introduction
    • Choir: Tre volte miagola la gatta in fregola (Witches)
  • No. 11. Ballo
  • No. 12. Scene and Finale III
    • Scene: Finché appelli, silenti m'attendet (Macbeth, witches, vision)
    • Scene: Fuggi, regal fantasima (Macbeth, witches)
    • Choir and dance: Ondine e Silfidi (Witches)
    • Scene: Ove son io? ... Svaniro! ... (Macbeth, Lady)
    • Duet: Ora di morte e di vendetta (Macbeth, Lady)

Fourth act

  • No. 13. Introduction
    • Choir: Patria oppressa! il dolce nome (refugees)
  • No. 14. Scene and Aria Macduff
    • Scene: O figli, o figli miei! (Macduff)
    • Aria: Ah, la paterna mano (Macduff)
    • Tempo di mezzo: Dove siam? che bosco è quello? (Malcolm, Macduff, choir)
    • Cabaletta: La patria tradita (Macduff, Malcolm, choir)
  • No. 15. Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene
    • Recitative: Vegliammo invan due notti (doctor, servant)
    • Scene: Una macchia è qui tuttora ... (Lady, servant, doctor)
  • No. 16. Scene and Finale IV
    • Scene: Perfidi! All'anglo contro me v'unite! (Macbeth)
    • Aria: Pietà, rispetto, amore (Macbeth)
    • Scene: Ella è morta! (Lady, Macbeth, choir)
    • Scene: Via le fronde, e mano all'armi! (Malcolm, soldiers, Macduff)
    • Scene: Carnefice de 'figli miei, t'ho giunto (Macduff, Macbeth)
    • Finale: Vittoria! Vittoria! (Macduff, Malcolm, soldiers, people)

instrumentation

The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:

libretto

The libretto of the first version follows the literary model wherever possible. But "the complicated plot of the template was sacrificed and summarized in a few 'opera-compatible' tableaus". In addition to clear cuts (Shakespeare's first and second acts are combined in the first act in Verdi) or deletions of entire scenes (e.g. semi-comic scene with the doorman, scene of Lady Macduff with her son, etc.), the other is above all Emphasis on: The role of the lady is enhanced, she is more present, her effect more dramatic. “Many of the sentences that Macbeth speaks in Shakespeare are taken over by Lady Macbeth in Verdi (e.g. banquet scene). Shakespeare describes the deliberations and the thought process that leads to action, while Verdi put his emphasis on the aftermath. With Shakespeare Macbeth is the founder of evil and at the same time the victim, with Verdi the decisive motors for action lie with Lady Macbeth and the witches, i.e. outside Macbeth. This is also the reason why Verdi upgraded the witches in the third act in the second version ”and added an additional witch scene in the first act.

Second version from 1865

In the second, (initially) French version from 1865, Verdi revised some numbers. He added a witch's choir in the first act and replaced the lady's cabaletta with the aria “La luce langue” in the second act. In the third act the ballet is added, which he had to introduce due to the customs of the Paris Opéra. The act ends with the Lady / Macbeth duet “Ora di morte e di vendetta” instead of Macbeth's cabaletta “Vada in fiamme!”. In the fourth act, Verdi re-composed the opening choir and rearranged the orchestration of the battle scene. He replaced the monologue of the dying Macbeth with the victory hymn "Salve, o re!"

classification

Macbeth is the tenth of Verdi's 26 operas, as well as the second of seven literary operas (four after Friedrich Schiller , three after William Shakespeare), and their creation falls in the decade that Verdi described as his "galley era", in which he was still falling had to fight artistic recognition and had to cope with personal blows of fate. In order to appreciate the importance of Macbeth, it is important to look at contemporary opera. In Italy, bel canto operas dominated the scene from the 1920s to the 1950s (Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, earlier Verdi). This opera concept aimed at the vocal soloists with their beautiful, emotional or passionate singing. The orchestra usually had an accompanying function, the not very complicated plot concentrated on a triangular relationship in which one figure appears as a disruptive factor towards two lovers (model: soprano and tenor love each other and baritone / bass acts as a disruptive figure). From the mid-thirties onwards, the action was increasingly organized in a series of stage sets, each of which was a “tableau vivant” (living image), a large-scale musical scene based on a standardized structure. The tableau (usually called "scene and aria / duet") is introduced by a moment of action that is musically recitative with arioso moments or dramatic accents. This is followed by a slow aria, the so-called cantabile, followed by another small scenic phase, the new information of which gives rise to the fast aria that follows, the so-called cabaletta. As a framework for action, the short scenic phases create the respective occasion for what the bel canto opera is actually about: the expressive singing of feelings and passions in "beautiful singing"; In the words of Carl Dahlhaus, this “opera formula” consists of “the juxtaposition of precipitous [...] events on the one hand and moments of lyrical or martial emphasis on the other.” Variations were created through small-step scenic insertions or choir support as a multiplier for jubilation or horror.

“Verdi wrote this opera after six months of forced rest. This opera was Verdi's attempt to break away from Rossini's conventions. The innovations concerned the layout of the scenes, the arrangement of the whole, the arrangement of keys and the subtle instrumentation. The plot is focused on the dramatic core. "

- Jolanda Giardiello : Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth. An analysis

Analysis aspects

Macbeth is one of the few operas that does not have a love act, but is determined by lust for power and its consequences. This means that the most important basis of the bel canto concept is missing. Nevertheless, the structure of Macbeth shows that Verdi does not fundamentally question this concept, insofar as he sticks to the tableau structure, but seriously changes it internally. Right at the beginning of the first act, Macbeth and Banco learn their ascent prognoses through interspersed prophecies of the witches, which interrupt the dialogue between the two comrades. When an envoy announced Macbeth's promotion immediately afterwards, he and Banco deal with what happened to them "for himself" and " sotto voce " in the following duet . The first, characteristic impression that Lady Macbeth leaves on her first appearance in the first act is that she wants “the whole, the undivided power, basically exclusively for herself”, “and Macbeth should only help her with it”. Verdi tries to draw a precise character drawing of the lady and creates the seven-minute appearance (called the scene and cavatina ) in small steps: Instrumental introduction: gives the lady's inner excitement as an anticipation. Melodrama: she reads her husband's letter and learns of the prophecies and the ascent. Recitative: she admits her ambition and accepts for herself that you cannot come to power without a crime. Kavatine (1st part, Andantino, 6/8, D flat major): she wants to encourage Macbeth to do bold action, he should rule. Messenger report: interrupts the cavatina with the announcement of the imminent arrival of the king and Macbeth. Recitative: Alone again, she asks the “ministri infernali” (servants of hell) for help with the murder, which is already clear to her here. Kavatine (2nd part, Allegro maestoso, 4/4, E major): it conjures up the night to cover up the murder. “The fact that Shakespeare's Macbeth alone decides to have Banco eliminated did not fit Verdi into the concept. With him, the lady makes all the decisions, she is undoubtedly the main character of the opera. She is not only superior to her weak husband in every joint action in willpower and charisma, but she is also given the opportunity more often than him to expand her demonic interior in monologues, namely in Cavatina, Aria, drinking song and nightwalker scene, whereby she is in the first three Cases is so passionate that it makes you forget the silent, emotionless madness of the Shakespeare character. Verdi should have named the opera after her. "

After the march (Duncano's arrival), the “Big Scene and Duet” is finely graduated and shows even more changes in tempo, time signature and key in over ten minutes. In a three-minute recitative with seven tempo changes, Macbeth feels the necessity of murder, but at the same time the fact that he is not up to the task. He finally goes into Duncano's room (instrumental music, murder in the background) and comes out completely disturbed and against the agreement with the bloody dagger still in hand, where he meets the lady. The following duet is repeatedly interrupted by outbursts (recitatives) of Macbeth, while the lady encourages him and brings the dagger into the king's room, with which she is now the dominant figure and driving force.

The beginning of the second act (scene and aria, 6 minutes) begins with a recitative (6/8, F minor) in which Macbeth and his wife ascertain the necessity of the murder of Banco and his children in order to convey this part of the witch prophecy to subvert. At the same time, you already hear the exclamation “O voluttà del soglio” (O lust of power). In the following aria (Allegro, 3/4, E minor), which she sings as a monologue and which consists mainly of exclamations, Lady Macbeth reaffirms the necessity of crime: “Nuovo delitto! E 'necessario! ”(A new crime! It has to be!), And then“ con trasporto ”(with enthusiasm) to indulge in omnipotence fantasies (Allegro vivo, E major):“ O scettro, alfin sei mio! / Ogni mortal desio / Tace e s'acquieta in te. ”(O scepter, you are finally mine! / Every earthly desire / falls silent and is satisfied by you.). “She is the incarnation of evil, the other, destructive side of her husband who knows, to quote one of Jacob Burckhardt's words, 'that power in itself is evil', as Lord Acton put it: that 'power corrupts absolute Power is absolutely corrupted ', and which is therefore ready, for the sake of the whole and undivided power, not to be squeamish about the means of acquiring power. the inside of a demoralized willingness to aggression turns to the outside in order to realize the once defined goal in repeated attempts. "

In the finale of the second act (banquet scene) Lady Macbeth proves to be the bustling manager of the good festive atmosphere. Her lively Brindisi (drinking song), which cannot be found in Shakespeare, creates the community of celebration (the guests join in), but the Brindisi is interrupted by the appearance of Banco's murderers, who report the partial success (Banco is dead, his son escaped) and the two appearances of Banco's ghost, which only Macbeth can perceive. When he reacts stunned and confused, the lady initially manages to cover up the situation and restore the festive mood with the help of the Brindisi. Here, too, Verdi builds up the almost 16-minute scene again in a filigree manner with numerous changes in tempo, time signature and key. It begins with the Allegro brillante of the festive melody in F major and ends up in a Largo in E major (i.e. exactly next to it, like crazy) in which the choir expresses its paralyzing horror and the lady scolds her husband coward.

Only at the end of the opera, in the twelve-minute “Great Scene of Sleepwalking” (fourth act), “after the murders of the King and the Banco, after the tormenting appearance of one's own conscience as the evildoer, does it become apparent that the Lady von everything she has done has not remained mentally unscathed. The guilt is reported, becomes visible as blood on her hands, does not want to pass and is heavy, increases the pressure so that the lady collapses completely under it. ”In the introductory recitative (Largo, 2/4, F minor) the doctor describes and the chambermaid, the very apathetic lady, who sits there with fixed eyes and rubbing her hands constantly. In the long aria (Andante assai sostenuto, sotto voce, 4/4, D flat major), which is repeatedly interrupted by the horrified comments from the doctor and the chambermaid, Verdi shapes the decay and madness with the help of a free monologue that does not have a fixed, pre-defined shape scheme follows. The lecture title "sotto voce" (in a hushed voice) transports the song into a remote, quasi-autistic sphere. “In addition, many of the games are declamatory, which means that these games are very linguistic. These two features in the design of the melody of the singing voice show that Verdi was particularly concerned with the dramatic statement and that he mostly dispensed with 'bel canto' singing in favor of a more realistic effect ”. Werner Oehlmann therefore interprets the figure of the lady as follows: “Her dreamlike stammering reveals what is behind the facade [...]: weakness, a feeling of guilt, hopeless forlornness. Verdi recognized and used the opportunity that was given to music, the language of the unconscious and subconscious; the scene is a masterpiece of the portrayal of the soul, a revelation of abysses into which the word cannot submerge. "

The witches are the third force, along with the Macbeth couple, who propel the plot forward. Her prophecies at the beginning of the first act and the ambiguous prophecies in the third act exert a considerable influence on Macbeth, who - also under the pressure of his wife - makes himself the compliant executor of the prophesied upheavals, at least as he understands the predictions. Already in the prelude, a theme from the two acts is heard: the theme later sung by the witches' choir (“Tre volte” / Three times) and the forte theme in the appearances in the completely redesigned third act. They initially create an atmosphere of bizarre, bizarre (first Act), then of the threatening, powerful (third act), "what is meant here is the influence of the supernatural or the power of evil that is behind the appearances". With the witches' choir, newly composed for the second version from 1866, at the end of the first set (fourth appearance), Verdi reevaluates the witches compared to Shakespeare. "Dramaturgically, this scene (I / 4) is the consequence of a completely different position of the witches in Verdi: They stand above the fate of Macbeth, meet Macbeth knowingly and deliberately and are neither reflexes nor unsuspecting catalysts of a lust for power and annihilation already inherent in this . "

reception

“The Florentine premiere on March 14, 1847, conducted by Verdi himself, was enthusiastically received by the audience. [...] Verdi also took care of the scenic realization. He attached great importance to the historical accuracy of the costumes and sets. Verdi strived for a total work of art. [...] The criticism was rather cautious, complaining about the lack of a love scene. […] Nevertheless, it [opera] quickly conquered the stages all over the world. In the 1880s this opera disappeared from the Italian scene and was practically no longer performed until 1931. Today this opera is part of the traditional Verdi repertoire. ”On the other hand, Knaur's opera guide remarks that the opera, both when it was premiered in 1847 and in its new version in 1865,“ was received with a bit of uncertain reluctance ”.

Recordings

Macbeth has appeared on phonograms many times. Operadis lists 127 recordings in the period from 1943 to 2009. Therefore, only those recordings that have been particularly distinguished in specialist magazines, opera guides or the like or that are worth mentioning for other reasons are listed below.

  • 1943 (earliest known recording, heavily shortened): Karl Böhm (conductor), Vienna Philharmonic , Vienna State Opera Choir . Mathieu Ahlersmeyer (Macbeth), Herbert Alsen (Banquo), Elisabeth Höngen (Lady Macbeth), Else Böttcher (Lady of Lady Macbeth), Josef Witt (Macduff), Willi Franter (Malcolm), Viktor Madin (doctor), Hermann Baier (servant and apparition 2), Karl Ettl (murderer), Roland Neumann (herald). Preiser PR90175 (2 CD), Acanta DE 23278, Harmonia Mundi DE 23277-8 (2 LP), Urania 220 (3 LP), Cantus Classics 500098 (2 CD).
  • December 7, 1952 (live from Milan, version from 1865, without Ballabile ; Opernwelt CD tip: “Historical significance”): Victor de Sabata (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro alla Scala . Enzo Mascherini (Macbeth), Italo Tajo (Banquo), Maria Callas (Lady Macbeth), Angela Vercelli (Lady of Lady Macbeth), Gino Penno (Macduff), Luciano della Pergola (Malcolm), Dario Caselli (doctor), Attilio Barbesi ( Servant), Mario Tommasini (murderer), Ivo Vinco (herald). EMI CD: 7 64944 2, Nuova Era CD: 2202/3 (2 CD), Rodolphe LP :, Movimento CD: 051 022, Cantus Classics 500303 (2 CD), Myto Historical 063H115 (2 CD).
  • 1959 (version from 1865, without ballet and ballabile ; Opernwelt CD tip: “Reference recording”): Erich Leinsdorf (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Metropolitan Opera . Leonard Warren (Macbeth), Jerome Hines (Banquo), Leonie Rysanek (Lady Macbeth), Carlotta Ordassy (Lady of Lady Macbeth), Carlo Bergonzi (Macduff), William Olvis (Malcolm), Gerhard Pechner (doctor), Harold Sternberg (servant ), Osie Hawkins (Killer), Calvin Marsh (Apparition 1), Emilia Cundari (Apparition 2), Mildred Allen (Apparition 3). Arkadia CD: CDMP 471.2, RCA Victor CD: GD 84516, RCA MC: VKS 43545.
  • January 1976 (version from 1865, complete, with Macbeth's aria of death; Opernwelt CD-Tip: "Künstlerisch valuable"; Gramophone - Recommendation: "Additional Recommendation";): Claudio Abbado (conductor), orchestra and choir of the Teatro alla Scala . Piero Cappuccilli (Macbeth), Nikolaj Gjaurow (Banquo), Shirley Verrett (Lady Macbeth), Stefania Malagù (Lady of Lady Macbeth), Plácido Domingo (Macduff), Antonio Savastano (Malcolm), Carlo Zardo (doctor), Giovanni Foiani (servant ), Alfredo Mariotti (murderer), Sergio Fontana (herald), Alfredo Giacomotti (apparition 1), Maria Fausta Gallamini (apparition 2), Massimo Bortolotti (apparition 3). DGG CD: 415 688-2 (3 CD), DGG LP: 2740 158 (3 LP), DG CD: 435 414 2.
  • July 25, 1978 (version from 1847, live, concert performance from London; Gramophone - recommendation: "The Gramophone Choice"): John Matheson (conductor), BBC Concert Orchestra , BBC Singers. Peter Glossop (Macbeth), John Tomlinson (Banco), Rita Hunter (Lady Macbeth), Ludmilla Andrew (Dame der Lady Macbeth), Kenneth Collins (Macduff), Richard Greager (Malcolm), Christian du Plessis (doctor), Michael George ( Servant), Roger Heath (murderer), Prudence Lloyd (appearance 1), Sue Slade (appearance 2), Jonathan Robarts (appearance 3). VOCE LP: 11, House of Opera CD-ROM, Opera Rara ORCV301 (2 CD), Premiere Opera 2309-2 (2 CD).
  • July 2001 (video, live from Zurich, version from 1865, without ballet music; Gramophone recommendation: “DVD Recommendation”): Franz Welser-Möst (conductor), David Pountney (staging), Vivienne Newport (choreography), orchestra and choir of Zurich Opera House . Thomas Hampson (Macbeth), Roberto Scianduzzi (Banquo), Paoletta Marrocu (Lady Macbeth), Liuba Chuchrova (Lady of Lady Macbeth), Luis Lima (Macduff), Miroslav Christoff (Malcolm), Peter Kálmán (doctor), Giuseppe Scorsini (servant and murderer), Marie-Therese Albert (appearance), Michael Mrosek (appearance), Rebecca Ruegger (appearance). TDK mediactive DVD DV-OPMAC (2 DVD).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Kurt Malisch: Macbeth. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater. Volume 6: Works. Spontini - Zumsteeg. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-492-02421-1 , p. 411.
  2. ↑ a b c d Macbeth material folder of the Detmold Landestheater. Chapter: The Political in Verdi's "Macbeth"
  3. ↑ a b c Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth. An analysis on jolandanews.blogspot.de
  4. ^ A b Carl Dahlhaus: "The Music of the 19th Century" (New Handbook of Musicology, edited by Carl Dahlhaus, Volume 6), Wiesbaden and Laaber 1980, p. 170.
  5. ↑ Definition of terms: The expression “scene” has triple meanings. In the piano reduction and the table of contents above, he means the place of action or the stage design; in Verdi's composition of the music, he means, in association with another form such as aria, duet, march, etc., a closed musical unit (the tableau) and within all of this is found in the libretto the expression in the original sense, namely as the appearance or departure of figures, which thus create new figure constellations for the further course. So there are z. B. in the first act two pictures, the second picture being divided into four musical units (scene and cavatina, scene and march, large scene and duet, scene and sextet - first finale) with a total of 15 appearances (scenes 5-19).
  6. ↑ Material folder Macbeth of the Landestheater Detmold. Chapter: Madness knows no song
  7. ↑ Melanie Krämer: The "Macbeth" operas by Giuseppe Verdi and Ernest Bloch, p. 104
  8. ↑ Verdi actually wanted Sofia Loewe for this leading role, but she withdrew from the stage after a severe vocal crisis. Against Verdi's will, Eugenia Tadolini sang the premiere in Naples. Therefore he wrote in a letter to the conductor Salvatore Cammarano of November 23, 1848: “… Tadolini has a beautiful and good figure, and I want the lady ugly and evil. The Tadolini sings perfectly; but I want the lady not to sing. The Tadolini has a fantastic voice, clear, pure, powerful; and I want a rough, stifled, dull voice for the lady. The voice of Tadolini has something angelic: I want the lady's voice to have something diabolical. ”The quote can be found in all interpretations, here quoted from Errico Fresis: Verdi's MACBETH ( memento of March 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) on fresis .org .
  9. ↑ Werner Oehlemann, Opera in Four Centuries, p. 578.
  10. ↑ Melanie Krämer: The "Macbeth" operas by Giuseppe Verdi and Ernest Bloch, p. 82
  11. ↑ Not only did Verdi play the decisive role in the creation of the text, he was just as concerned about the scenic implementation. One of the newest stage inventions, the phantasmagoria (a projection apparatus based on the principle of the Laterna Magica) should be used, the director of the theater should not shy away from costs for it or the number of witches! For the latter, Verdi asked for 18 women, a number that was obviously very high at the time. Quoted from Errico Fresis: Verdi's MACBETH ( Memento from March 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ↑ Markus Engelhardt : The choirs in Giuseppe Verdi's early operas, p. 85.
  13. ↑ Knaurs Großer Opernführer, p. 490.
  14. ↑ Discography on Operadis
  15. ^ A b c d e f Andreas Ommer: Directory of all opera recordings. Zeno.org , volume 20.
  16. ↑ a b c Harenberg opera guide. 4th edition. Meyers Lexikonverlag, 2003, ISBN 3-411-76107-5 , p. 955.
  17. ↑ a b c Recommended recordings of Verdi's Macbeth on gramophone.co.uk , accessed April 25, 2016.