An opera in 4 acts
Libretto by Francesco Piavet
Conductor-Co-Producer – Marcello Panni
Light designer – Damir Ismagilov
Producer – Heimuntas Nyakroshus
Choirmaster – Valeriy Borisov
Scenic movement – Ìarius Nyakroshus
The teacher in vocal – Franco Paliatzi
Costumes designer– Nadezda Gultyaeva
The premiere was held October 8, 2003.
The characters:
Duncan,
King of Scotland
Ìacbeth,
general of the royal forces (baritone)
Banquo,
general of the royal forces (bass)
Lady Macbeth,
wife to Ìacbeth (soprano)
Lady Macduff
(soprano)
Ìacduff,
a Scot of noble blood, the emperor of Phife (tenor)
Ìàlcolm,
Ìàlcolm, son to Duncan (tenor)
Fleance,
son to Banquo
A Doctor
(bass)
The servant of Mañbeth
(bass)
The executioner
(bass)

witches, king’s messengers, noble Scots and refugees, English soldiers, bards, the spirits of air, ghosts.

Synopsis
The action takes place in Scotland and near the English border
Photo by Mikhail Guterman

Act 1

9 photo, 295 Êb

Ìàcbeth and Banquo, two Scottish generals, while riding home after a victorious battle against an army of rebels, King of Norway, the rebel Macdonwald and the secret rebel, the Thane of Cawdor, are met by three witches. They foretell a great future for Ìàcbeth: he will be Thane of Càwdor, and King hereafter and Banquo will be the father of many kings. Ìacbeth is strongly influenced by the witches’ words. The king’s messengers appear and announce Ìacbeth the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth and Banco are shocked that the prophecy came true so quickly.

Lady Macbeth is reading a letter from her husband where he in detail describes the above events to her. A messenger informs her that King Dunkan will stay for the night in their house and her husband will arrive home together with Duncan’s retinue.

Seeing the beginning of the fulfilment of the witches’ prophecies, Lady Macbeth believes that the only way forward is to murder King.

As, in her opinion, Macbeth is not firm enough to execute the prophecy she decides to persuade him to murder Duncan, the King of Scotland while he is a guest at their castle.

Macbeth is haunted by the vision of the blood stained dagger. Hesitantly and reluctantly Macbeth complies with his wife’s urgings. He stabs the King in his bedchamber. It is his first crime on the way to the throne.

After the king has been murdered Lady Macbeth joins her spouse, calming him down and encouraging. She goes back to the bedchamber where the dead bodies lie and puts the blood stained dagger into Ìalcolm's hand in order to arrange the things so that the king’s son and sleepy guards are found guilty of the murder. She now has her hands stained with blood, too. But she considers that just to wash them is enough to get rid of the blood.

Banquo is tormented by bad premonitions. Ìàcduff appears with the awful news: he has found King Duncan murdered. The chorus swears the murderer.

Act 2

5 photo, 149Êb

Macbeth is hailed as King.

Macbeth discovers that he is now sucked into a vortex of violence from which there is no escape.

Lady Macbeth convinces her crowned spouse, that, if he wants to ensure that Banquo’s descendants do not succeed to the throne, he is to arrange for Banquo’s murder.

Under the cover of night people sent by Macbeth kill Banquo, however his son manages to escape.

Macbeth welcomes his guests coming into his castle. At the feast the guests praise Macbeth and his spouse. But Macbeth is haunted by Banquo’s ghost who appears in the heat of the feast. Vainly does Lady Macbeth try to encourage and calm down the King appealing to his courage. She tries to smooth away his mad speeches in front of his vassals. Ìàcduff and the guests are in great confusion: " Suspicious secrets! Our land has turned into the home of robbers! "

Act 3

4  photo, 138Êb

As he feels his position unsure Macbeth decides to turn to witches once again, who warn him against the nobleman Macduff, but nevertheless persuade him to go on by telling him that “ None by woman born” can harm him, and that no one will defeat him “till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane”. But then in front of him there appears a row of the kings – Banquo’s offsprings, which proves that this prediction will come true, too.

Lady Macbeth comes to find her husband unconscious. Then, on hearing of his new visions, she calls down death and curses on the heads of all his enemies and Macduff is the first.

" The hour of death and revenge has come.”

Act 4

8  photo, 228 Êb

The miserable native land is being mourned over by those who were forced to abandon it in order to escape from the tyrant. Ìacduff and Ìàlcolm have gone to England to help in collecting an army to fight

Macbeth and in their absence Macduff’s family is murdered by order of Macbeth.

Ìàcduff aspires to revenge for the death of his family.

By Ìàlcolm’s order each soldier is to take a tree branch and under “the green shield” they are setting off to Macbeth’s castle.

Lady Macbeth, much disturbed in her mind, walks in her sleep along the castle corridors and speaks again and again her part in the crimes committed trying to wash the bloody stains off her hands.

Macbeth is preparing for the battle against Ìàlcolm, recalling his life. The messenger informs him of his spouse’s death and that Birnam forest is moving towards the castle.

Macbeth is disturbed as even these prophecies are coming true! But the King never loses courage. He starts the battle.

He is killed in hand-to-hand fighting by Macduff who was “not born of woman” and by whose hand Macbeth was destined to be killed.

Victory. Malcolm becomes King of Scotland. The people glorify the new ruler.

 

 
top
   
copyright © www.adagio.ru