4 days until the Macbeth premiere!

“There’s no other title hero in any of Verdi’s operas like Macbeth,” says Serbian baritone Zeljko Lucic, who sings the role in Adrian Noble’s new production. “It’s his ambition that leads him to crime, disaster, and ultimately to his death. Like every tragic hero, he falls victim to a side of his own nature that he doesn’t understand, that forces him to do the exact opposite of his principles.” Horrible as Macbeth’s deeds are, Noble points out that he’s still a character audiences can identify with: “If he were just a brute,” the director explains, “he wouldn’t have a conscience, therefore he wouldn’t see the ghost of Banquo, he wouldn’t see these horrible things. The tragedy is that he’s vulnerable, that’s the shocking thing about it. That vulnerability is the highway that the audience travels on.”

Here’s a preview of some of the most dramatic scenes in the opera.

The moment that sets the drama in motion: Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecy.

Plotting the assassination of King Duncan (with Maria Guleghina as Lady Macbeth).

Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost (John Relyea) at the banquet.

Photos: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

This entry was posted by Philipp Brieler on Thursday, October 18th, 2007 at 7:34 am and is filed under Macbeth, New Production Countdown. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.