MacBeth

Bavarian State Opera

May 23, 2009, 1:00 pm

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Conductor: Nicola Luisotti

Cast: Zeljko Lucic (Macbeth); Nadja Michael (Lady Macbeth); Roberto Scandiuzzi (Banco); Dimitri Pittas (Macduff); Fabrizio Mercurio (Malcolm)

Truly successful operas based on Shakespeare are astonishingly rare -- a generous estimate would put the count at about half-a-dozen. Even more remarkable is that Verdi alone accounted for three of them. This Macbeth from Munich included a controversial staging -- with more than a few scantily clad chorus members -- but musically it's first rate, with several remarkable vocal performances.

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