"Macbeth" is Giuseppe Verdi’s (1813-1901) second of seven literary operas and is based on the drama of the same name by William Shakespeare. The premiere took place in 1847 at the Teatro alla Pergola in Florence, and revised versions were staged for the first time several years later in St. Petersburg and Paris.
The creation of "Macbeth" falls into the late period of bel canto; Verdi dissolves the firmly established schemes in the singing and in this opera puts all his wealth of ideas into the focus of the orchestration, which was to become a signpost for his further compositions. The work was very well received on the whole, even if the lack of a love scene was criticized - in fact, "Macbeth" is one of the few operas whose plot is determined by greed for power and its resulting consequences.
In 11th century Scotland, witches prophesy a future as king for the general Macbeth, which he acquires in a bloody manner. He is fired by his power-hungry wife, Lady Macbeth, whose character Verdi allows much greater room for maneuver than is the case in Shakespeare’s original. Macbeth’s tragic end concludes this opera rich in dramatic scenes.
After several decades of oblivion, "Macbeth" is now part of the traditional Verdi repertoire and is performed on all the major stages.