Message from Maestro Myung-Whun Chung
Message from
Maestro Myung-Whun Chung

Message from
Maestro Myung-Whun ChungT

he theme of Macbeth is a very harsh theme
we see in the history of power, and desire
for power. It is a very uncomfortable drama in thatway, but you know, not everything in life can be justhappiness and sunshine. This one is highly dramaticon the dark side.

Of course this completes the three VerdiShakespeare operas that we've presented. It'sin reverse order from the last, but I think it's a very
good project that we undertook.

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M

acbeth is a much earlier work of Verdi, but
I think he himself felt that it was his best
work of his early period. Twenty years later, herevised a lot of it, so it is both an early work, but also
refined in old age.

It is also a big picture of his life as a composer. It
is very interesting to follow the development of
his musical life through these three operas.

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Program

The 1004th Orchard Hall Subscription Concert

Sun. Sep. 15, 2024, 15:00 at

Orchard Hall

The 1005th Suntory Subscription Concert

Tue. Sep. 17, 2024, 19:00 at Suntory Hall
The 164th Tokyo Opera City Subscription Concert

Thu. Sep. 19, 2024, 19:00 at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall

Myung-Whun Chung, conductor

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Sebastian Catana, Macbeth (baritone)
Vittoria Yeo, Lady Macbeth (soprano)
Albert Pesendorfer, Banquo (bass)*
Stefano Secco, Macduff (tenor)
Keiroh Ohara, Malcolm (tenor)
Yuka Tajima, Lady-in-Waiting to Lady Macbeth (mezzo-soprano)
Takayuki Ito, A Doctor (bass)
Yuichiro Ichikawa, Servant of Macbeth/Murderer/Herald (baritone)
Ryusuke Yamamoto, Apparition 1 (baritone)
Rumi Kitahara, Apparition 2 (soprano)
Momoko Yoshida, Apparition 3 (soprano)
New National Theatre Chorus (Kyohei Tomihira, chorusmaster)
Kaoru Kondo, concertmaster
Hiroshi Koizumi / Moto Kondo (Art Creation), stage managers
Kizuku Odahara / Motohiro Horii (Art Creation), assistant stage managers
Takashi Kitamura (Gekikosha), lighting
Olfeo, soundTokyo Isho, costume
Cho Young, hair & make-up
Art Creation, properties
Asako Honya, surtitles
Nana Shioya (Zimaku Plus), surtitles operation
Yasuko Furuse / Marin Yamanaka, musical preparation
Mari Murakami, Italian-Japanese interpreter*The originally scheduled bass singer, Mr. Alex Esposito, has become unavailable to sing the roleof Banquo due to his personal circumstances.

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Program
ProgramOpera in Concert Style

Verdi: Opera Macbeth(the Paris version of 1865, Ricordi)

Concert-Style Opera in four acts with Japanese surtitles
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei
from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

ACT 1 (ca. 50 min)ACT 2 (ca. 30 min)― intermission (ca. 20 min) ―ACT 3 (ca. 20 min)
ACT 4 (ca. 40 min)

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Performance time: ca. 2 hours and 45 minutes (including intermission)

Presented by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
Subsidized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs Government of Japan |Japan Arts Council,
the Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Foundation for the Arts (Sep. 17),Affinis Arts Foundation
Supported by the Verdi Society of Japan, the Shakespeare Society of Japan(Sep. 15)In Association with
♪ All seats are reserved. Late admittance will be refused during the live performance. If you
enter or reenter just before the concert or between movements, we may escort you to a seatdifferent from the one to which you were originally assigned.
♪Exiting during the performance will be tolerated. If you do not feel well, please exit or enter as
you need. However, please mind the other listeners so that they will be minimally disturbed.
♪ Please refrain from using your cellphone or other electronic devices during performance.
♪ Please cherish the "afterglow" at the end of each piece for a moment before your applause.

23Artists Profile

Artists Profile
Myung-Whun Chung,conductor

Honorary Music Director of
the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

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©Takafumi Ueno

Born in Seoul, Myung-Whun Chung won the silver medal at the Tchaikovsky
International Piano Competition in 1974. After completing conducting studies
at the Juilliard School, he served as assistant and subsequently associate
conductor to Carlo Maria Giulini at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Since his
appointment as Music Director of the Paris Opera (L’Opéra Bastille) in 1989,
Maestro Chung has conducted many prominent orchestras, including theVienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and la Filarmonica della
Scala. He served as the Music Director of l'Orchestre Philharmonique deRadio France (2000- 2015), the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (2006-2015)
and the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra, which he founded in 1997. Since 2012,he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. In June
2022, he received the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the
Republic of Italy for his contributions to Italian cultural development over theyears. In March 2023, he became the first-ever Conductor Emeritus of theFilarmonica della Scala in Milan.
For the TPO, Maestro Chung was Special Artistic Advisor (2001- 2010), its
Honorary Conductor Laureate (2010-2016). Starting September 2016, he wasappointed as Honorary Music Director. He is active in education for the
younger generations and in promotion of peace especially in Asia through avariety of musical activities and serving as UNICEF Ambassador.

Artists Profile

Macbeth (baritone)

Born in Cluj, Romania, Sebastian Catana is emerging as aprominent Verdi and verismo baritone of his generation. He madehis operatic debut in 2001 as Thore in Les Huguenots at CarnegieHall with the Opera Orchestra of New York. In 2003, he debutedat the Metropolitan Opera as Schaunard in La Bohème under thebaton of Daniel Oren and later performed as Valentin in Faust. His
European debut came in 2007 as Paolo in Simon Boccanegra at
Teatro Comunale in Bologna. Catana has interpreted many major
Verdi baritone roles, and his career continues to thrive with a series of significant engagements.
He has performed Scarpia in Tosca at Opera Bastille, Alfio in La cavalleria rusticana in
Verona, Cagliari, and Barnaba in La Gioconda. He has also performed Tosca in Venezia (Teatro
La Fenice), Rome (Teatro dell'Opera), Palermo, and Tokyo (tournée del Teatro Massimo
Palermo with Angela Gheorghiu); I Due Foscari in Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Santiago
de Chile, Trieste and Toulouse; Luisa Miller in Torino e Lyon; Nabucco in Stuttgart, Rome
(Caracalla) and Philadelphia Opera; Rigoletto in Rome (Teatro dell'Opera) and Copenhagen,and Giovanni in the European premiere of Tutino's La Ciociara in Cagliari. Recently acclaimed
roles include Germont in a new production at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv and Santiago delChile, Rigoletto in Liège, and Falstaff in Tokyo. Upcoming roles include Amonasro at Arena
di Verona, Nabucco at Teatro Colón, and Macbeth in Cagliari and Tokyo with Myung Whun
Chung. He will return to the Arena di Verona Festival, singing Alfio, Tonio, Nabucco, andAmonasro. Additionally, Catana will reprise roles such as Nabucco and Tosca in Copenhagen,
Trovatore and Otello in Tel Aviv, Alfio and Tonio at Pittsburgh Opera, and will debut Simon
Boccanegra in Warsaw (Polish National Opera).

Artists Profile

Sebastian Catana,

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Vittoria Yeo,

Lady Macbeth (soprano)
Vittoria Yeo was born in Seoul, South Korea, where she began
her musical studies and earned a degree in vocal performancefrom Seokyeong University. She then moved to Italy to continue
her training, receiving her diploma in vocal performance from the“Arrigo Boito” Conservatory of Music in Parma. She furthered
her studies at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena and the IstitutoMusicale Pareggiato “Vecchi-Tonelli” in Modena, studying under
the celebrated soprano Raina Kabaivanska, and graduated with the©Sergio Ferrihighest honors. Yeo began her international career in 2015 with her
debut at the Salzburg Festival, where she performed as Elvira in Ernani under the direction of
Riccardo Muti. She later sang the title role in a new production of Aida at the same festival in
2017. Yeo's repertoire includes roles such as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Cio-Cio-San in Madama
Butterfly, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Liù in Turandot, Leonora in Il trovatore, Giovanna in
Giovanna d’Arco, Odabella in Attila, Mimì in La bohème, Lida in La battaglia di Legnano,
Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Aida in Aida, Norma in Norma, and Desdemona in Otello. She
has also performed as a soloist in Mozart's Requiem at the Arena di Verona (2020) and in Verdi's
Messa da Requiem under the baton of Riccardo Muti with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra(2018), the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Baden-Baden Festival (2019), and with the Orchestra
and Chorus of Teatro Real in Madrid at the Cathedral de Burgos in Spain (2022).

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Artists Profile
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Albert Pesendorfer,
Banquo (bass)

Austrian bass Albert Pesendorfer is highly sought after forhis performances in the German repertoire, having sung at
major theaters and festivals worldwide. His versatility extends
to Italian and Slavic roles, earning him widespread acclaim. In
2016 and 2017 he appeared as Hunding in Walküre and Hagen in
Götterdämmerung at the New National Theatre in Tokyo. Highlights
of his 2024-2025 season include performing Banquo in Verdi's
Macbeth with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Hunding in
Die Walküre at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier with theTokyo Symphony Orchestra, and roles such as Graf Waldner in Arabella and Veit Pogner in
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Pesendorfer’s operatic repertoire
encompasses over 70 roles, predominantly in the German Wagnerian tradition, including
Hans Sachs, Veit Pogner, Landgraf Hermann, Gurnemanz, König Heinrich, König Marke,
Fasolt, Hunding, and Hagen. He also excels in the Italian repertoire, performing roles such as
Filippo II, Zaccaria, Sparafucile, and Banquo. On the concert stage, Pesendorfer has appeared
at prestigious venues such as the Vienna Musikverein, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Berlin
Philharmonie, and the Barbican Hall in London, as well as in Japan and the USA. Additionally,
he serves as a professor of voice at the Berlin University of the Arts.

Stefano Secco,
Macduff (tenor)

Born in Milan, Stefano Secco studied piano and singing under
Alberto Soresina and further trained with renowned artists FrancoCorelli, Franca Mattiucci, Leyla Gencer, and Renata Scotto. He
has performed in all the major Italian opera houses, with notableroles including Rodolfo in La bohème in Bologna, Parma, andRome; the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto in Turin and Florence;
Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly in Rome; Osiride in Mosè in Egitto
in Verona; Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Torre del Lago Festival;and Alfredo in La traviata and Macduff in Macbeth at La Scala, Milan. Recent engagements
include Werther and Tosca at the Vienna Staatsoper; Lucia di Lammermoor in Salerno; Macbeth
and Traviata in Venice; Macbeth and Rigoletto in Cagliari; a New Year’s Gala with the Teatroalla Scala in Milan in Algiers; Un ballo in maschera in Nantes and Rennes; I Masnadieri in
Valencia; Faust in Nice; Rossini’s Stabat Mater in Trieste; La Bohème in Bari; Luisa Miller
in Marseille; Stiffelio in Strasbourg, Mulhouse, and Dijon; Dallapiccola’s Il Prigioniero (asGrande Inquisitore) with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Pappano;the world premiere of the orchestral version of Puccini’s Romanze (orchestrated by Marco
Quagliarini) with the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto; Tosca and Norma in Messina; and I
Vespri Siciliani at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna.

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Artists Profile

Malcolm (tenor)

Keiroh Ohara graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts,
where he completed his graduate studies and earned a doctorate.
He has appeared in various roles at the New National Theatre,including Rodrigo in Chinmoku and Edmund in Lear at Nissay
Theatre. His powerful performance as Florestan in Fidelio at the
ROHM Theatre Kyoto and Nikikai Opera garnered acclaim, as did
his delicate portrayal of Yohyou in Yuzuru at the New National
Theatre. Ohara has been active both in Japan and internationally,
participating in the "Year of Japan in Russia" organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs andperforming at the Mariinsky Theatre. He also received praise for his portrayal of the title role in
Lohengrin in productions by Nikikai Opera and Biwako Hall. On the concert stage, he performs
a wide range of repertoire from classical to contemporary works. He is a member of Nikikai.

Artists Profile

Keiroh Ohara,

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Yuka Tajima,

Lady-in-Waiting to Lady Macbeth(mezzo-soprano)

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Yuka Tajima graduated from Musashino Academia Musicae
and completed its graduate program. She was a finalist at the50th Italy-Japan Vocal Music Concorso and won first prize at the
31st Iizuka Newcomer Music Competition. Since her debut with
Fujiwara Opera Company as Tisbe in La Cenerentola, she has
performed various roles, including Pippo in La Gazza Ladra,©FUKAYA Yoshinobu/auraY2Charlotte in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Berta in The Barber ofSeville, Clotilde in Norma, and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. In 2018, she made her role debutas Angelina in La Cenerentola, receiving great acclaim. She has also appeared as Hermia in
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, and Mercedes in Carmen at the
New National Theatre, Tokyo. Tajima has performed as a soloist in religious works such as
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mozart's Requiem, and the Coronation Mass. She is a memberof the Fujiwara Opera Company.

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Artists Profile
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Takayuki Ito,
A Doctor (bass)

Graduated from Nagoya University of Arts with honor,
and completed its graduate course as well. He continued his
studies in Milan, Italy. His awards include the 39th Italian
Vocal Concorso Gold Prize and 2nd Prize at the G. Zecca
International Vocal Competition among many. While in Milan,
he performed in various operas including La Bohème as Colline.
He also reeceived favorable reviews for his performances at
the New National Theatre in Tokyo in Aida (King) and Tales ofHoffmann (Luther/Krespel), and at the Nissay Theatre in The Barber of Seville (Basilio),
Faust (Mephistopheles) by Fujiwara Opera Company etc. and has performed as soloist
in Beethoven Ninth Symphony, Verdi and Mozart Requiem etc. He received the Aichi
Prefecture Arts and Culture Award “Cultural Newcomer Award” in 2012 and the Toyota
Cultural Encouragement Award in 2017. He is a member of Fujiwara Opera Company.

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Yuichiro Ichikawa,

Servant of Macbeth/Murderer/Herald(baritone)
Yuichiro Ichikawa graduated from Showa University of Musicand completed its graduate course. He performed in concert inSeoul in 2016 as part of an exchange program between Showa
University of Music and Seoul National University, and wasrecommended by M. Devia to perform in the “Opera Aria Concert,”
a project commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2017
to foster up-and-coming artists of the next generation. Since his
debut with Fujiwara Opera Company in 2018 as Dandini in La Cenerentola, he has appeared invarious roles, including Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Escamillo in Carmen, and Schaunard
in La Bohème. In 2023, he performed as Emperor Suzaku in The Tale of Genji with the Japan
Opera Association and sang in La Bohème with the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, where hereceived high acclaim. He is a member of the Fujiwara Opera Company.

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Artists Profile

Apparition 1 (baritone)

Ryusuke Yamamoto graduated from the Vocal Music Department andMusic Major Department of Showa University of Music and completed
the Opera Singer Training Program at the Japan Opera Foundation. He
has appeared in numerous operas, including Lucia di Lammermoor,
La Traviata, Rigoletto, Un Ballo in Maschera, Il Trovatore, Aida, La
Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, and Pagliacci. While studying in
Italy, he performed in various concerts, primarily in Milan, including roles such as Amonasro
in Aida and Belcore in L'elisir d'amore. Yamamoto has also appeared as a soloist at the Hyogo
Prefecture Newcomer Concert and in performances of Mozart’s and Duruflé's Requiem. He is amember of the Fujiwara Opera Company and the New National Theatre Chorus.

Rumi Kitahara,

Apparition 2 (soprano)
Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts and completed her
graduate studies there. Finished the training program at the Nikikai
Opera Institute at the top of her class, after which she further honed her
skills in Italy. Kitahara has appeared in numerous operas, including as
the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Mimi in La Bohème, one of
the Ladies in The Magic Flute, and Giorgetta/Angelica in Il Trittico. In
addition to her opera performances, she has also been active in musicals. In recent years, she has
performed in roles such as a Lady in Macbeth at the Tokyo Spring Music Festival under the batonof Riccardo Muti, and Fusako in the Nikikai Opera production of Das verratene Meer, composed
by Hans Werner Henze, where her acting skills also received high praise.

Artists Profile

Ryusuke Yamamoto,

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Momoko Yoshida,
Apparition 3 (soprano)

Momoko Yoshida graduated from Kunitachi College of Music,
specializing in vocal performance. She performed in the 2013 Graduation
Concert and the 36th Yomiuri Chubu Annual Concert for Rookie
Musicians. She completed the Nikikai Opera Institute and performedin the concert for New Vocalists of the 60th selected members. Yoshidahas appeared in roles such as Cupid in Orphée aux Enfers, the Young
Shepherd in Tannhäuser, and a Boy in Die Zauberflöte. In concert settings, she has performed
as a soloist in Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem and at the "STAND UP! CLASSIC FESTIVAL
2023." She is a member of the New National Theatre Chorus.

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Artists Profile©Takafumi Ueno

New National Theatre Chorus,
Chorus (Kyohei Tomihira, chorusmaster)

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New National Theatre, Tokyo, has opened in October 1997 as the only national
theatre for the modern performing arts of Opera, Ballet, Contemporary Danceand Play. Meanwhile, New National Theatre Chorus has started its career andplays a central role in many Opera performances all through the seasons. Theirensemble ability and rich voices achieved acclaim from costarred singers,
conductors, directors, stage staffs as well as domestic and foreign media.
Column

The words that misled Macbeth
Act 1, in the forest. The witches call out to Macbeth:"Hail, Macbeth, Thane of Glamis!""Hail, Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor!""Hail, Macbeth, King of Scotland!"
Then, the witches address Banquo:"You will be lesser than Macbeth and yet greater!""Not so happy as he, but happier!""Not king, but the father of kings!"
Upon hearing these portentous foretellings, Macbeth is shaken.
Act 3, once again in the forest. Apparitions summonedby the witches speak to Macbeth.
"Beware Macduﬀ.""You may be bloody and ﬁerce: no man born of woman will harm you.""Be strong: you will be glorious and invincible
until you see Birnam wood come marching towards you."
But when Macbeth asks, "Will the descendants of Banquo ever mount the throne?"the witches remain silent. Macbeth continues on his path to ruin.

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Program Notes

Text by Robert Markow

Program Notes

Program Notes
Verdi: Opera Macbeth

Over the span of just eleven years (1839-1850), Verdi turned out fifteen
full-length operas – more than one a year. Of these, few remain in the active
repertory; in fact, until the great middle period trilogy of Rigoletto, Il trovatore,
and La traviata, only Nabucco (his third opera) and Macbeth (his tenth) can
claim repertory status. Indeed, Verdi himself claimed Macbeth to be the favoriteof his operas up to that time.
Macbeth also represents one of Verdi’s manifestations of his lifelong loveof Shakespeare. In Macbeth, Verdi attempted something new, an overriding
concern with the dramatic expressiveness inherent in the text rather than mere
vocal display and slavish adherence to the conventions of opera in his day.
Verdi’s determination that his opera should reflect the dramatic elements ofthe play, rather than serve as a mere showcase for vocal talent, is seen in his
rejection of Tadolini for the role of Lady Macbeth. “Madame Tadolini hasa wonderful voice, clear, flexible and strong, while Lady Macbeth’s voice
should be hard, stifled and dark. Madame Tadolini has an angelic voice, but
Lady Macbeth’s should be diabolical.” Pierluigi Petrobelli, former Directorof the Verdi Institute in Parma, sums up Verdi’s intentions thus: “Macbeth isthe culminating and decisive crisis in Verdi’s art. It constitutes the moment
at which the composer became aware that he had to find within the musicallanguage the elements characterizing the dramatic poles of the action in a
way that creates an arc of tension transcending single moments and isolated
situations.”
Macbeth is unusual in other ways as well. It is one of the few operas withno love interest. There is no leading role for a tenor, and it has few arias in the
traditional sense. Most of the best tunes go to the chorus. On the other hand,
there is a stirring drinking song, a vengeance duet, a sleepwalking scene, anapparition scene, two mad scenes (one each for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth),and two extended scenes for the witches (expanded from three individuals in
Shakespeare to three “covens” of six or more in Verdi) – more than enough to

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Program Notes
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sustain interest! The cast is quite large, but there are only three leading roles:
the title character, his wife (who functions more as a partner in crime than asa lover), and the witches as a collective unit. Macbeth’s wife, who may be
regarded as the real protagonist of the drama, is the only character in all of
Verdi’s 26 operas who has no name of her own; she is simply “Lady Macbeth.”
As for the witches, Verdi wrote that “[they] dominate the drama; everythingstems from them – rude and gossipy in Act I, exalted in Act III. they make up areal character, and one of the greatest importance.”
In 1846, the year Verdi began to write Macbeth, his greatest masterpieces
were still ahead of him (Rigoletto, Il trovatore, La traviata, La forza del destino,
Aida, Otello, Falstaff, among others), but at 33 he was already rich and famous.
In that year, opera houses in three major cities – London, Paris, and Naples –were clamoring for his next production. For a libretto, Verdi was considering
Grillparzer’s Die Ahnfrau, which he never set; Schiller’s Die Räuber, which
later became I masnadieri; and Macbeth, which went to none of the abovementioned theaters, but rather to La Pergola in Florence. This was to be the firstof Verdi’s settings of his life-long love of Shakespeare, but he did not returnto this author until the very end of his long career (Otello in 1887, Falstaff
in 1893). Verdi’s source was the first integral translation of Shakespeare into
Italian, by Carlo Rusconi, published in Padua in 1838. This was only a prose
rendition, which of course failed to capture the magic of Shakespeare’s poetry
and sonoric niceties, but that’s where the music takes over. Verdi enlisted theservices of the librettist Francesco Maria Piave, with whom he had previously
worked on Ernani and I due Foscari, but Verdi initially drew up the entire
libretto himself in prose form, choosing which scenes from Shakespeare toinclude, which to omit, and how to reduce the text to manageable proportions
for an opera (less than half of Shakespeare’s original). Piave’s job was to turn
Verdi’s text into exact verse for the composer to set to music.
The premiere in Florence on March 14, 1847 was a huge success. Verdi
was recalled to the stage 38 times. The opera made the rounds of Italy, went on
to other European cities, and arrived in New York in 1858. Ironically, England,
the country of Shakespeare’s birth, did not see Verdi’s Macbeth until nearly acentury after its premiere, in 1938. In 1865, the French publisher Léon Escudiersuggested a new version of Macbeth for the Théâtre lyrique in Paris, and Verdi

Program Notes
Program Notes

agreed. It was mandatory at the time that any opera produced in Paris include
a ballet sequence, whether the story required one or not, and Verdi grudgingly
complied. There were other changes as well, mostly in Act III. Productions
today generally respect the Paris version. The ballet scene is usually cut, but themusic sometimes turns up at symphony concerts as a self-contained number.

SYNOPSIS
ACT I
A brief Prelude sets the mood of dark mystery and strange goings-on in thestory about to unfold. Music later associated with Lady Macbeth – a nervous,
jabbing figure in the strings and a haunting, lyrical line presented by violins –appropriately takes prominence, as she is the character who motivates much of
the action. The scene is eleventh-century Scotland. Against the background of
a storm, witches convene on a desolate heath to brag about the evil deeds they
have recently committed. Macbeth and his friend Banquo, both generals in King
Duncan’s army, approach. The witches hail Macbeth with three titles: Thane of
Glamis (a position he already holds), Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland.
They also hail Banquo as the father of future kings. Both men are astonished atthese words, and voice their misgivings over these mysterious pronouncements.
A moment later a messenger arrives with the news that the King has justappointed Macbeth Thane of Cawdor after deposing the previous occupant of
this post. Macbeth’s hair stands on end (so he tells us), as he reflects that theultimate symbol of power, King of Scotland, a post he had never previously
considered, suddenly seems within reach. The witches return for a final chorus.
The scene moves to a hall in Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth, at first
speaking (not singing), is reading a letter from her husband describing theevents of the previous scene. She immediately begins contemplating the murderof King Duncan, who just happens to be arriving at the castle that very evening.
With fierce determination, she calls upon the ministers of hell to assist her(“Or tutti sorgete”) in her infamous designs. The moment Macbeth arrives she
commands him to do the dirty work. Then follows Macbeth’s famous soliloquy,taken directly from Shakespeare, in which he imagines a dagger dangling before
him in mid-air. His resolve falters, but his wife eggs him on. After killing

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Program Notes
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Duncan in his sleep, Macbeth is further urged by his wife to erase all possibilityof discovery by returning to the King’s bedchamber and smearing the guards
with blood so that the blame will fall on them, not on Macbeth. Macbeth is too
stunned to act, so his wife proceeds apace. When the King is discovered deadthe next morning, there is appropriate outcry, confusion, and horror. The act
closes with a powerful ensemble.
ACT II
Lady Macbeth is not finished with murderous thoughts. Now she wants
Banquo dead, as the witches had prophesized that he would be “father ofkings,” thus threatening Macbeth’s title as King of Scotland. Again, the deed is
to be carried out this very night. In a stirring aria (“La luce langue”), she affirms
with steely resolve the necessity of further murders and exults in the power she
and her husband now enjoy.
The scene shifts to a park near Macbeth’s castle. A band of assassinsconverse in a bouncy, light-hearted chorus about their impending murder ofBanquo and his son Fleance. Banquo gets his only aria in the opera (“Come dalciel precipita”) just in time before he is dispatched. Fleance escapes.
The famous Banquet Scene is introduced with some of Verdi’s mostexhilarating music. Macbeth welcomes all to the festive occasion in honorof his coronation, and Lady Macbeth leads the crowd in a drinking song (“Sicolmi il calice”) to what may well be the opera’s most memorable tune. (This is
an interpolation by Verdi and Piave; it is not found in Shakespeare.) Suddenly
Macbeth imagines the ghost of Banquo before him, and for a moment loses his
sanity before all the guests. His wife tries to smooth matters over, and resumes
the drinking song, but the ghost returns, and Macbeth has an even longer lapseof sanity. Lady Macbeth berates him for his lack of resolve, and the act closes
with another big choral number in which the crowd wonders at Macbeth’s
strange behavior.
ACT IIIAct III consists of a single scene. The witches are holding anotherconvention around their boiling cauldron. They dance about and sing of thegrisly ingredients that go into their unholy brew. Macbeth enters, determined
to learn more about his future. The witches conjure up apparitions for him:

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Program Notes

ACT IVThe final act opens on the border of England and Scotland, where Scottish
refugees have gathered to sing a chorus (“Patria oppresa”), whose dignified toneof lamentation brings to mind the analogous “Va pensiero” chorus of Hebrews
in Nabucco. They are joined by Macduff, whose wife and children have beenmurdered by Macbeth. Macduff sings of his sorrow in his only aria in the opera,(“Ah, la paterna mano”). Malcolm enters leading a company of British soldiers.
He orders each man to cut a branch from a tree in Birnam and take it with him
into battle against Macbeth. He and Macduff lead the martial chorus (“La patria
tradita”) that promises freedom from their oppressor.
A somber prelude introduces Lady Macbeth’s famous Sleepwalking Scene,in which she relives the horrors of what she and her husband have done. The
baleful sound of the English horn underscores the sense of misery. Verdi
regarded this scene and the Act I duet between Macbeth and his wife as the twomost important passages in the opera. “If these two numbers fail, then the entire
opera will fail,” he wrote in a letter to Salvatore Camarano. And these two
numbers “must be acted and declaimed, with hollow, muffled voices.”
In another room in the castle, Macbeth enters, fuming that Scots andEnglishmen have united against him. In his only full-length aria in the opera,
he expresses the hopelessness and despair that now plague him (“Pietà, rispetto,
amore”), that he will never have the comforts that other men enjoy in theiradvancing years ̶ honor, respect, love. A woman enters to inform Macbeththat his wife is dead (the cause is not given; one can only assume that she
has succumbed to emotional exhaustion), news that barely registers on hisbenumbed mind. Then comes news that does enflame him: Birnam woodis advancing on the castle in the form of each soldier carrying a branch for

Program Notes

one warns him of Macduff, another advises him that “no man of woman born”
can harm him, a third claims that he has nothing to fear until Birnam woodmarches on his castle. Macbeth is relieved: of course every man is born froma woman, and how silly to expect that trees can march, he thinks. A further
apparition (omitted in this performance) brings forth a procession of futurekings, including Banquo. Macbeth collapses in fear. His wife comes to his side
to comfort him, and together they plan still more murders, those of Macduff, all
his family, and Banquo’s son Fleance.

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Program Notes
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disguise.
The opera’s final scene takes place on a battlefield, with the English
soldiers led by Macduff and Malcolm. Macduff confronts Macbeth in a duel.
Macbeth is convinced that he is invincible, relying on the witches’ prophecy
that no man born of woman can harm him. But Macduff did not have a naturalbirth – he was ripped from his mother’s womb. Macduff runs him through.
Malcolm (son of the slain King Duncan) is proclaimed the new king, and all
rejoice – a tragedy with a happy ending.
GIUSEPPE VERDI: Born in Le Roncole, Italy, October 10, 1813; died in
Milan, January 27, 1901
Original work: William Shakespeare's“Macbeth”
Libretto: Francesco Maria Piave, Andrea Maffei
Work composed: 18461847
World premiere: March 14, 1847 at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence,
conducted by the composer Revised Premiere: April 21, 1865 at Théâtre
Lyrique in Paris
Instrumentation: piccolo, flute, 2 oboes (2nd doubling on English horn), 2
clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, cimbasso, timpani,percussion (snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam), harp, strings[off-stage instruments] oboes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, percussion.
*In this performance, orchestral players on stage will perform.

Formerly a horn player in the Montreal Symphony, Robert Markow now writes program
notes for numerous orchestras and other musical organizations in North America andAsia. He taught at Montreal’s McGill University for many years, has led music tours toseveral countries, and writes for numerous leading classical music journals.

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