Salzburg Festival: Macbeth

Year: 2023
Country: Austria
Director: Krzysztof Warlikowski
Conductor: Philippe Jordan
Set and costume designer: Małgorzata Szczęśniak
Lighting designer: Felice Ross
Cast: Vladislav Sulimsky, Asmik Grigorian, Tareq Nazmi, Jonathan Tetelman, Caterina Piva
Genre: opera
Runtime: 157 min.
Age: 18+
With his Macbeth, Giuseppe Verdi broke with the operatic conven- tions of the time and created one of his darkest and most abysmal works. Monumental choral scenes contrast with extremely expres- sive arias and duets, in which Verdi sonically illuminates the mental abysses of the power-obsessed protagonists. Directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski, the timeless drama unfolds in a new interpretation that takes the audience on an intense journey into human abysses: Disappointed by life and angered by their childlessness, Macbeth and his lady seize the next opportunity to gain power, and they do it over dead bodies. Tormented by feelings of guilt, however, the two soon fall into delusions and become victims of their own lust for power. An opera of this kind demands not only outstanding voices but also outstanding actors. 

  • “Vladislav Sulimsky is forceful and brutish in the title role, at times truly frightening, always utterly assured.” (Financial Times) 
  • Asmik Grigorian is giving her debut as Lady Macbeth and performs “with an urgency of expression that needs no further explanation.” (Salzburger Nachrichten) “Her sing- ing becomes a victory over expressive resistance.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine) 
  • “Philippe Jordan celebrated a triumph on the podium of the Wiener Philharmoniker” (Kurier), his “Macbeth crackles with power and electricity, propelled by its own velocity. 
  • The orchestra attacks the score with relish.” (Financial Times) 
  • “Verdi, as one can only wish for.“ (drehpunktkultur.at)
  • “Thrills, spills and impressive vocal stunts” Financial Times 
  • “A triumph for ‘Lady Macbeth’ Asmik Grigorian” Kronen Zeitung
  • “Intense monumental Verdi sound” Neue Musikzeitung