The Classical Music Minute

Verdi's Macbeth, An Opera “Unlike Any Other.”

August 09, 2021 Steven Hobé, Composer & Host Season 1 Episode 15
The Classical Music Minute
Verdi's Macbeth, An Opera “Unlike Any Other.”
Show Notes Transcript

Description
One of my favourite operas by Giuseppe Verdi is Macbeth—maybe because I am such a Shakespeare fan. Verdi himself was also an avid reader of Shakespeare and sought to produce an operatic work unlike any that had gone before. Take a minute to get the scoop!

Fun Fact
When Verdi’s Macbeth first premiered in Florence in 1847, it was dubbed “L’opera senza amore!” The opera without love. It was odd to Italian audiences of the day that there was no great love affair as the focal point. Despite that, Verdi proved himself to be a trailblazer as he pushed the boundaries of the operatic art form to great acclaim.

About Steven
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more.

A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.

Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: TCMMPodcast@Gmail.com 

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Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Macbeth premiered in Florence in 1847. 

At the time Italy was a fractured country in political chaos. 

So when Verdi composed Macbeth, his tenth opera, the themes of political corruption, tyrannical rule, longing for freedom, and plea for liberation appealed to him deeply.

Verdi was also an avid Shakespeare fan and was eager to see this story brought to life and adamant that it be an opera “unlike any other.” 

He did tweak the text slightly however by expanding the role of Lady Macbeth. He also required the soprano voice should be “rough, hollow and stifled.” 

In 1865, Verdi was invited to perform Macbeth in Paris. For this he revised the opera ending, not with Macbeth’s death, but with a hymn of victory as Malcolm is crowned king of Scotland.

This was a fitting end and deliberate call out to audiences who desired to see Italy unified under one ruler.