| Included Work | Piave, Francesco Maria, 1810-1876. Macbeth. English. |
| Included Work | Piave, Francesco Maria, 1810-1876. Macbeth. Italian. |
| Included Work | Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Macbeth. |
| Included Work | Piave, Francesco Maria, 1810-1876 librettist. |
| Included Work | Sams, Jeremy, translator. |
| Included Work | John, Nicholas, editor. |
| Other author/creator | English National Opera. |
| Series |
Opera guides ; 41
Opera guide ; 41. ^A176004
|
| Contents |
Macbeth: Shakespeare to Verdi / Giorgio Melchiori -- Making Macbeth "musicable" / Harold Powers -- Macbeth and the nineteenth-century theatre / Michael R. Booth -- Thematic guide -- A note on Shakespeare's Macbeth / August Wilhelm Schlegel -- The preface in the Ricordi libretto -- Piave's intended preface for the 1847 libretto -- Macbeth / Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, 1865 ; English translation by Jeremy Sams -- Additional scenes from the 1847 version -- Discography / David Nice. |
| Abstract |
Verdi came to Shakespeare through Italian translation and had never seen Macbeth on stage when he wrote his first version of the opera in 1847. Giorgio Melchiori draws a parallel between the conditions in which the playwright and the composer were working and compares their achievements. The supernatural was a vital element in both conceptions: the opera is "in the fantastic style", with bizarre music for the witches' dances and choruses. Theatre historian Michael Booth vividly introduces the staging of Shakespeare in the nineteenth century. Harold Powers discusses how the dramatic situations lent themselves to the forms and purposes of Italian opera. |
| General note | Includes various articles about the opera, thematic guide, discography, and the libretto. |
| General note | This Opera guide first published by John Calder (Publishers) Ltd in 1990. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (page 96). |
| Language | Text in English and Italian. Libretto in Italian by Francesco Maria Piave after William Shakespeare, with English translation by Jeremy Sams. |
| ISBN | 9780714544427 (paperback) |
