MacBeth
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Throughout his life, Giuseppe Verdi was an ardent admirer of William Shakespeare, the globally celebrated Elizabethan playwright. When in the summer of 1846 the Italian master sought the subject for his tenth opera, he ultimately opted for Macbeth. A supreme operatic dramatist, Verdi recognised how much potential the story of the corrupting force of power offered. In Macbeth, he started pursuing the path towards musical drama, in which singing reflects the characters’ psychology and inner emotions, with the dramatic content being far more important than bel canto.
For the Italian opera scene, Macbeth was a bold choice indeed. Lacking a love story, which was unprecedented for the genre, with the plot replete with violence, murder, military conflict, gruesome actions and supernatural elements, the big question was how the local audience would respond to the piece. Yet the first night, on 14 March 1847 in Florence, conducted by Verdi himself, was a resounding success. The new opera was soon staged to great acclaim all over Italy, as well as in a number of theatres in Europe, North and South America. In 1865, Verdi substantially revised it for the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris, which presented the new version, in French translation, on 21 April that year. The second Macbeth, however, was poorly received and did not fare well. Only in the 1960s did the opera enjoy a revival, and its revised version, in Italian, has ever since been a staple of the repertoire of theatres worldwide.
Surprisingly, it took a very long time before Verdi’s Macbeth was presented in Prague. It was first staged here on 30 November 1935 at the Neues deutsches Theater (today’s State Opera).
Program and cast
Macbeth: Ólafur Sigurdarson
Lady Macbeth: Lilla Lee
Banco: Iurie Maimescu
Macduff: Kyungho Kim
Malcolm: Daniel Matoušek
Doctor: Ivo Hrachovec
Maid of Honor: Lucie Hájková
Servant of Macbeth: Libor Novák
Assassin: Andrey Styrkul
First Apparition: Alexander Laptěv
Second Apparition: Eliška Rokos Mourečková
Third Apparition: Lubomira Popova Alabozova
State Opera Chorus
State Opera Orchestra
Pupils of the Olga Kyndlová Ballet School
Creative team
Stage director - Martin Čičvák
Sets - Hans Hoffer
Costumes - Marija Havran
Motion cooperation - Tomáš Krivošík
Chorus master - Adolf Melichar
Dramaturgy - Jitka Slavíková
Approximate running time: 2 hours 50 minutes, 1 intermission (20 minutes)
Language: In Italian, surtitles in Czech, English
Prague State Opera
The State Opera today
The State Opera (formerly the State Opera Prague, between 1948 and 1992 the Smetana Theatre, and originally the New German Theatre) has been a part of the National Theatre since 2012. The Opera and Ballet ensembles give repertory performances at the State Opera.
History
The Prague State Opera resides in the building which on January 5, 1888 was opened as a Prague German stage with the performance of Wagner’s opera, The Mastersingers of Nürnberg. In the 19th century, Prague Germans performed in the Estate’s Theater in alternation with a Czech company. Desire for their own theater led to negotiations in 1883 for the construction of a new theater building for the German Theater Association. Over the next three years, a blueprint was drawn up and handed over to the Vienna atelier of Fellner and Hellmer. Also sharing in the design was the architect of the Vienna Municipal Theater, Karl Hasenauer, while Prague architect Alfons Wertmüller took part in the construction. Financing came from private collections. With its spacious auditorium and neo-Rococo decoration, this theater building is among the most beautiful in Europe.
Access:
By car
On Wilsonova street, from the left lane close to the State Opera building take the slip road to the Slovan above-ground garage. The parking fee is 40 CZK/h.
By tram
By daytime tram No. 11 to the stop “Muzeum”, through the underpass beneath Legerova street in the direction of the NationalMuseum, at the crossroads turn right along the NewBuilding of the NationalMuseum.
By daytime trams Nos. 3, 9, 14 and 24 or night trams Nos. 51, 52, 54, 55, 56 and 58 to the stop “Václavské náměstí”, then by foot uphill on the left side of the Wenceslas Square to the traffic lights across Wilsonova and Vinohradská streets. Then turn left along the NewBuilding of the NationalMuseum.
By metro
To the “Muzeum” station, lines A and C (green and red), and then by foot along the NewBuilding of the NationalMuseum.