Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
Director: Andrea Bevilacqua
Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti
Stars: Leo Nucci, Enrico Iori, Sylvie Valayre, Roberto Iuliano.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2812244/
Verdi's 10th opera
First performed at Teatro la Pergola, Florence, 1847
Second version, significant alterations, premiered at Theatre Lyrique, Paris, 1865
Place: Scotland
Time: 11th century
Filmed at Teatro Regio di Parma.
This was well-lit for being filmed, but not for the atmosphere of the scenes.
Does Macbeth often have an onstage "audience"/chorus supplement? Why are they dressed in 1940's clothing, when the regular cast were in Elizabethan garb (which is also too modern?)
Singing/performances were fine. The lengthy "ballet" (non-balletic style) of some of the "witches"/laundresses seemed pointless, and made it clear the version performed was the second French one.
I find Lady Macbeth's mad scene too tame musically, and it may be that I have a particular staging/performance in my memory that cannot be bettered.
The Great Course credits this as a major departure dramatically from prior Italian opera.
Per the 2012 featurette, without naming the source of world-wide most-performed rankings, this is 9th among Verdi's operas, 31st among all operas. (another source-less list of the top 100; Operabase Statistics)
Unitel, cond. Bartoletti; 7
