Macbeth - Opéra Royal de Wallonie Liège 2026/27 - Macbeth - Opéra Royal de Wallonie Liège 2026/27, Stefano Poda

Description

New production by the Opéra Royal de Wallonie Liège, 2026/27 season

To launch its 2026/27 opera season, themed "Powers / Desire", the Opéra Royal de Wallonie Liège presents a new production of Verdi’s Macbeth. This operatic adaptation of Shakespeare’s drama, centered on a spiral where one crime begets the next, finds a natural home here, returning to the Liège stage after an absence since 2018. Power gained through bloodshed consumes those who seek to hold onto it; the work exposes the moral and psychological vertigo of individuals overwhelmed by an ambition greater than themselves, while questioning the corrosive nature of desire.

This new production is helmed by Stefano Poda, a multidisciplinary artist who serves as director, set designer, costume designer, lighting designer, and choreographer, and is known for his flair for the spectacular. Here, he promises an interpretation of Verdi’s opera "that explores the work in depth and reveals its fault lines," placing Macbeth within "a unified visual universe that showcases the full range of the Opéra Royal’s creative and technical resources, from the workshops to the stage."

According to the director’s artistic statement, the set design relies on "an interplay of shifting spaces: translucent structures, elevated walkways, and modular forms create an unstable world where each location seems to contain another." These transformations aim to reflect "the psychological layers of the drama, accompanying a staging that seeks not merely to illustrate the story, but to delve into its fissures. The set thus becomes a mirror of a fragmented, haunted reality, directly echoing the characters' inner torment."

On stage, Luca Micheletti sings the title role alongside Ewa Płonka as Lady Macbeth, with Riccardo Fassi and Matteo Desole appearing as Banquo and Macduff. In the pit, Giampaolo Bisanti conducts the production, leading the orchestra and chorus of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège in bringing to life the "sound and fury" of Verdi’s score.

Further information is available on the Opera’s official website.

free translation of our French-language presentation of the production