Macbeth, Ballet of the Witches

Ghostly Apparitions 

In 1847, Giuseppe Verdi composed his opera Macbeth, based on Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name. For a master of drama like Verdi, the choice of this play is hardly surprising, and its bloody subject matter along with the superstitions surrounding it align perfectly with the theme of this concert. It is for a Parisian performance in 1865 that the composer added the Ballet of the Witches. At the time, it was mandatory for any opera staged in France to include a ballet. This unshakable tradition had already posed a challenge for Wagner during the presentation of his Tannhäuser in 1861. 

Set at the beginning of Act III, the scene unfolds in the witches’ cave, where Macbeth seeks answers to calm his anxieties. The witches perform incantations that summon three apparitions, each delivering a cryptic message to the protagonist: a helmeted head warns him to beware of Macduff; a bloodied child tells him that no man born of a woman shall harm him; finally, a crowned child foretells that he will remain safe until Birnam Wood marches to Dunsinane Hill.