MACBETH

Here, the action is driven not by love, but by the thirst for power and moral conflicts. This is the essence of "Macbeth" – the first of Verdi's Shakespearean operas, which will be brought to the finale of the XXXI BOF by our guests from the Taras Shevchenko National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv.

Verdi, a great admirer of Shakespeare's works, together with librettists Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei, created this operatic masterpiece, exploring the psychological depth of the main characters – the weaknesses and ambitions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, which lead to the ultimate crime and downfall.

The production for the National Opera of Ukraine was prepared by the renowned Italian director Italo Nunziata, who is highly regarded for his contribution to the revival and modern interpretation of 18th and 19th-century operas. Although the opera premiered on the Kyiv stage in mid-2007, the demonic nature embedded in Verdi's work, as the underlying force behind all events strongly resonates with the tragic reality of the ongoing war in Ukraine.