Hello Gentlemen,
It's Asian Nicole. "MACBETH" - a brand-new production of Verdi's Macbeth delivers an epic opera-going experience to the COC stage! It runs through from April 28 to May 20, 2023 at the Four Seasons Centre, Downtown, Toronto. My darling Opera Professor and I went to see this famous opera on May 17th.
Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, Macbeth most clearly reflects his relationship with King James, patron of Shakespeare's acting company. It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy.
1623, London, England.
This story is about a brave Scottish general named Macbeth 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 King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. Forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death.
A fervent fan of Shakespeare, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi sought to compose a score fitting of the play he called "one of the greatest creations of man." Thus, Verdi's Macbeth was born - the first of his Shakespeare adaptations, and one of the composer's first works to persist in the international repertoire.
Legend has it that a coven of witches set a curse upon Shakespeare for using a real spell within the work, promising disaster to fall upon any production in which someone speaks its name inside the theatre. " The Scottish Play" and "The Bard's Play" have since become popular alternate titles for Macbeth, and the superstition (or "curse" if you believe the legend) has been passed down to both opera and film adaptations of the work.
A new vision from the eyes of opera royalty - renowned Scottish director Sir David McVicar presents this new co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago, quickly becoming a COC favourite. With Macbeth, the director brings a lush new look to the classic tale, overflowing with epic costumes, sets, and special effects.
Tenor Matthew Cairns deserves special mention as a superb Macduff. This talented young Canadian was a COC Centre Stage winner and a graduate of the COC Ensemble, who went on to become a grand finals winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition last year. His “Ah, la paterna mano” was sung with real pathos, his creamy voice leaves us yearning for more. Let’s hope the COC brings him back for more major roles.
Macbeth is an unforgettable clash for power unfolds in one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, adapted for the operatic stage through one of Giuseppe Verdi's most thrilling scores.
BRAVO!!! What a fabulous opera! Thanks so much for taking me to see it, my darling opera professor! I really enjoyed it!
It's Asian Nicole. "MACBETH" - a brand-new production of Verdi's Macbeth delivers an epic opera-going experience to the COC stage! It runs through from April 28 to May 20, 2023 at the Four Seasons Centre, Downtown, Toronto. My darling Opera Professor and I went to see this famous opera on May 17th.
Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, Macbeth most clearly reflects his relationship with King James, patron of Shakespeare's acting company. It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy.
1623, London, England.
This story is about a brave Scottish general named Macbeth 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 King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. Forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death.
A fervent fan of Shakespeare, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi sought to compose a score fitting of the play he called "one of the greatest creations of man." Thus, Verdi's Macbeth was born - the first of his Shakespeare adaptations, and one of the composer's first works to persist in the international repertoire.
Legend has it that a coven of witches set a curse upon Shakespeare for using a real spell within the work, promising disaster to fall upon any production in which someone speaks its name inside the theatre. " The Scottish Play" and "The Bard's Play" have since become popular alternate titles for Macbeth, and the superstition (or "curse" if you believe the legend) has been passed down to both opera and film adaptations of the work.
A new vision from the eyes of opera royalty - renowned Scottish director Sir David McVicar presents this new co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago, quickly becoming a COC favourite. With Macbeth, the director brings a lush new look to the classic tale, overflowing with epic costumes, sets, and special effects.
Tenor Matthew Cairns deserves special mention as a superb Macduff. This talented young Canadian was a COC Centre Stage winner and a graduate of the COC Ensemble, who went on to become a grand finals winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition last year. His “Ah, la paterna mano” was sung with real pathos, his creamy voice leaves us yearning for more. Let’s hope the COC brings him back for more major roles.
Macbeth is an unforgettable clash for power unfolds in one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, adapted for the operatic stage through one of Giuseppe Verdi's most thrilling scores.
BRAVO!!! What a fabulous opera! Thanks so much for taking me to see it, my darling opera professor! I really enjoyed it!
