Hrólfur Sæmundsson

After a victorious battle, the witches predict a crown for the Scottish commander Macbeth. In response to the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth’s thirst for power is fuelled dangerously by his wife and they decide to murder their king Duncan in his sleep. With this act of blood, they unleash an unprecedented spiral of violence that will lead them straight into the abyss. Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare's most demonic works. In order to capture the supernatural atmosphere of the original play, the ardent Shakespeare admirer Giuseppe Verdi composed closely to the text and boldly experimented with new timbres. In a remarkable stage design by Henrik Ahr, which resembles a huge cauldron, Michael Thalheimer focuses his production on Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the witches. Verdi specialist Antonino Fogliani conducts a stellar production, in which the opulent choruses repeatedly provide musical highlights.

Giving up her life of parties and wealthy lovers, a Parisian courtesan decides to settle down with her young admirer. But his provincial family is determined to break up the scandalous affair. Filled with passionate and beautiful music – including the famous duets ‘Libiamo ne’ lieti calici’ and ‘Un dì, felice, eterea’ – it’s easy to see why Verdi’s tragedy about a fallen woman has become the most popular opera of our time. Prix de la critique Claude Rostand winner Oriol Tomas directs this new production at Icelandic Opera.

When private love affairs become entangled in public political intrigue, the outcome is often tragic. The protagonists have no choice but to watch helplessly as they suddenly become a pawn in a game they thought they could control. With Love & Politics, Dan Turdén embarks on his position as artistic director of Norrlandsoperan. The opera performance compellingly combines four Verdi operas based on Friedrich Schiller's plays - Don Carlo, I masnadieri, Luisa Miller and Giovanna d’Arco - into a reflection on the many faces of love caught up in political power games.