MACBETH
opera by Giuseppe Verdi
State Opera Budapest
WORLD PREMIERE February 2025
WORLD PREMIERE February 2025
Conductor Martin Rajna
Director Matthew Wild
Stagedesign Sebastian Hannak
Costumes Heide Kastler
Stagedesign Sebastian Hannak
Costumes Heide Kastler
Lighting Tamás Bányai Choreography Eszter Lázár
Video Zsombor Czeglédi
„Sleep no more“ is a famous quote of Shakespeares´ classic drama that Verdi based his opera on. A plot that is enriched with prophecies, all of which become uncannily true: a whole forest will move, a murder will happen by someone not born of a woman... In the beginning, Macbeth is told by three witches that he will be the new King. Rage, revenge and ruins are what follows: we experience the unraveling this 3 hours tour de force opera of Verdi. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the former king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. In the end, civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in his own death and the rise of a new king.
Lacking a love story was unprecedented for the genre- leaving the plot with violence, murder, military conflict, gruesome actions and supernatural elements.
My general idea was to enhance the idea of a constant descent in a very minimalist, almost abtsract set. I chose a huge staircase that, read from left to right, always shows the protagonist on descent, and always being on their way, never quite arriving somewhere.After the intermission, the staircase is even doubled using the full heights of the grand Budapest opera house. The bold, simple diagonal also reminds of a huge cut like in Lucio Fontanas´ Artwork, enhanced by bold colors amplifying the surreal scenes.
