The three witches in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” stirred up a hellish brew for the future king of Scotland.
They’re at it again in Seattle Opera’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic version of “Macbeth,” but this time there is a chorus of witches – 42 in all – stoking the cauldron of mystery and misery.
“They really are the engine of the opera,” said director Bernard Uzan, describing in a telephone interview how the witches motivate the actions of the characters in Shakespeare’s tragedy. Macbeth and his Lady, a twisted couple for the record books, possess overwhelming ambitions and lust for power that leads them to disaster.
Uzan, with noted set designer Robert Israel, is creating Seattle Opera’s new “Macbeth” that opens Saturday for the first of eight performances at McCaw Hall. The witches – 30 who sing and another dozen who dance – are in virtually every scene, according to Israel, who talks about his design considerations in the current Seattle Opera magazine.
The opera, which takes place at night, is bathed in somber colors with costumes and sets that place the opera in no specific time period, Uzan said.
“Macbeth” marks the first collaboration of Israel and Uzan. Individually they are responsible for some of Seattle Opera’s most popular productions. Paris-born Uzan, in demand with opera companies around the world, has directed in “Andrea Chenier,” “Faust,” “Rusalka” and three Puccini operas in Seattle. Israel is a renowned designer whose Seattle credits include the 1986 production of “The Ring” plus “Aida,” “Florencia in the Amazons” and “Parsifal.”
Verdi’s “Macbeth” is a masterpiece of story and music, bringing to life the intense psychological drama of Shakespeare’s blood-soaked tragedy of ambition and greed with extraordinary music and rich characterizations. Macbeth wants to be king, and the witches foretell it. To hasten the deal, he’s manipulated by his wife, Lady Macbeth, into murdering all who stand in the way. But no crime here goes unpunished, and this frightful pair is destroyed by evil.
“Macbeth” is loaded with high drama and scenes of ghostly apparitions, assassinations and madness, most famous among them the sleepwalking scene in which Lady Macbeth wanders the castle tormented by dreams and the blood she sees on her hands.
“The sleepwalking scene is one of the most interesting to direct and to live with,” Uzan said. “It’s a huge challenge to create the impression of sleepwalking but not an impossible challenge.”
Uzan calls “Macbeth” a “tornado of an opera” that calls for staging that emphasizes the dramatic flow of the story’s continuous action. This kind of dramatic challenge is right up Uzan’s alley. He started his career as an actor and even ran his own theater company. He moved into directing opera more than two dozens years ago and has had a string of successes around the world.
With his theatrical background, “Macbeth” should be a dream assignment. “More like a nightmare,” Uzan said with a laugh.
Verdi also makes big vocal demands on his singers. His “Macbeth” gives prominence to the role of Lady Macbeth, sung in this double-cast production by Seattle Opera veteran soprano Andrea Gurber singing her first Lady Macbeth (with soprano Elena Zelenskaya alternating the role in her Seattle Opera debut). Verdi set the vocal bar very high for this difficult role with plenty of both low and high notes.
The role of Macbeth, one of Verdi’s greatest for the baritone voice, is sung by American Gorden Hawkins, a noted Verdi singer. Louis Otey sings the role in the alternate cast. Making their Seattle Opera debuts are bass Burak Bilgili as the general Banquo, and tenor Joseph Calleja as Macduff, a Scottish nobleman.
Italian conductor Nicolla Luisotti also makes his Seattle Opera debut in this production.
Bill Mohn photo
General director Speight Jenkins and Bernard Uzan, “Macbeth” stage director, confer at a staging rehearsal.
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