If you know my love for Giuseppe Verdi, you already know that what follows will be nothing but praise. So I kindly ask anyone who came here hoping for a negative critique to close this page and look elsewhere—because what I experienced in Busseto on Saturday, September 27th simply cannot, I believe, be told with objectivity. But I’ll do my best to make you understand—understand why.

The theater built in honor of Giuseppe Verdi, on his own land in Emilia-Romagna, hosted the second performance of the Verdi Festival. And it wasn’t just anything—it was Macbeth. Surprising, perhaps, that such a monumental work should be staged in a 300-seat theater. And me, thinking I’d already seen it all on Friday night in Parma with Otello, and that Saturday would be a “quiet” evening in front of a “small show”… well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I hadn’t understood at all what I was walking into. On Saturday night, Macbeth outshone many, many productions I’ve seen in major theaters over the last few years.

First, the theater experience itself. Until Saturday, I had only ever visited the house, never attended a performance. This time it was a whole new level: the theater dressed itself in its finest to welcome 300 Verdi devotees, and—believe it or not—the staging actually extended into the audience! (And here I’ll mention the only “negative” point of the evening: given the tiny size of the hall, and the fact that the front of the stage was barely used, why remove seats for a performance that had been sold out for weeks?)

On stage unfolded a version of Macbeth I had never heard before, one I didn’t even know existed. A magnificent version. And that’s hard for me to say, and harder still to convince myself of after a single listen, since I’ve been living with the “standard” version for 20 years. But yes—this version was magnificent, one that felt closer to Nabucco than to the Macbeth I thought I knew. I was stunned by the similarities between the two operas. There was one aria in particular—if anyone can remind me of its name!—sung by Lady Macbeth at the beginning of the second part, with extraordinary high notes, beautifully delivered by Marily Santoro. I absolutely loved her. She set the evening ablaze right from the start, with a stunning first aria as she read the letter—what a fiery beginning! Things dipped just slightly toward the end of the night, though I couldn’t quite explain why; usually it’s the other way around with singers. But honestly, this is nitpicking—her performance was strong, moving enough to make my neighbor cry (and that’s the best kind of review you can get 😉).

And then came Lady Macbeth’s other half—Macbeth himself. The undisputed winner of the evening, if we go by applause, was Vito Priante! What a pleasure to watch him move and command the entire stage, to see him as brilliant an actor as he is a singer. The Neapolitan was the shining gem of the night.

All honors also go to my personal favorite of the evening: Adolfo Corrado. What a voice, what a joy to hear him. Lecce must be a factory of talent, because this is not the first time I’ve had the chance—and surely not the last!

And finally, a word for the tenor Matteo Roma. His role isn’t the most prominent in Macbeth—it’s mostly a “big voice” kind of part—but he sang with tremendous seriousness, full control, and clear devotion. You could feel his love for Verdi, and that was a real pleasure.

A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Maier for allowing me to enjoy this performance in the best possible conditions.
A huge thank you to the festival’s organization and staff.
And deep gratitude to all those behind the scenes, working tirelessly to keep alive the memory of the greatest composer of all time.

More than ever, and forever: Viva Verdi.

*già allievi dell’Accademia Verdiana