Resonance Works revisits Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth, which launched the company in 2013. The company brings to the stage a new essentialist production directed by Frances Rabalais, an alum of the Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist program, who partners with Resonance Works Artistic Director Maria Sensi Sellner and Associate Producer Robert Frankenberry for a fresh approach to this canonic work.

Verdi’s Macbeth, based on Shakespeare’s iconic play, is a ​​dark and timeless tale of ambition, corruption, guilt, and how power can change you. Resonance Works alum Joshua Jeremiah brings his “rich-voiced” baritone (The New York Times) and “commanding” presence (OnStage Pittsburgh) to the title role, alongside the “captivating” soprano Natalie Polito making her role debut as Lady Macbeth. Joining them in this ensemble cast will be tenor Kevin Ray, praised as “formidible” by the Washington Post, bass Hidenori Inoue, hailed by Arts Knoxville for “vocal power and richness”, and accomplished soprano Zuly Inirio, founder of the Afro-Latinx Song and Opera Project – all making their Resonance Works debuts. Returning to the Resonance Works stage are Timothi Williams, “a mezzo-soprano voice of excellent quality and quantity”, “brilliant” soprano Charlene Canty, and “sterling” versatile tenor Robert Frankenberry. 

“I’ve always admired Verdi’s unflinching commitment to giving the characters full room to be contradictory and complex. Whether it’s Violetta in La Traviata or Iago in Otello, Verdi gives them the honor of being nuanced and more than stereotypes. I think this gift of complexity allows us to dig into what I feel are central questions in Macbeth: What is power when it is given? When it is taken? And, whatever way it comes, what does it cost? Through the ensemble-style casting and the intimate setting at the Charity Randall Theatre, the audience will be able to join us in asking those questions and spend the evening enjoying Verdi’s generous humanity from a thrilling close-up vantage point.” says Rabalais.

Building on the company’s mission to bring new perspectives to classical music presented in intimate and fresh contexts, this Macbeth will utilize a unique ensemble cast from which the opera’s characters will be drawn and a new chamber orchestration by Frankenberry while preserving the drama and music of Verdi’s score. The performances will be presented during the Opera America annual conference, the world’s largest gathering of opera administrators, artists, trustees, and advocates, hosted in Pittsburgh this year. 

Resonance Works’ production of Verdi’s Macbeth is at the Charity Randall Theatre at the University of Pittsburgh, with performances on Thursday, May 18, and Saturday, May 20, at 8:00 p.m. For tickets, visit: https://www.resonanceworks.org/macbeth-2023

Categories: Show Previews

Tags: Charlene Canty, Frances Rabalias, Hidenori Inoue, Joshua Jeremiah, July Inrio, Kevin Ray, Macbeth, Maria Sensi Sellner, Natalie Polito, Resonance Works, Robert Frankenberry, Timothy Williams