|
Noda Hideki Launches into Opera,
Sheds Light on the Depths of the Magical Powers That Grip
Macbeth
The stage director Noda Hideki is at the forefront of contemporary
drama. He garnered overwhelming support from the public with
his theatrical company Yume no Yuminsha, and after disbanding
the troupe and studying abroad, he came back again to create
new works with his theatrical company NODA MAP. In recent
years, he has continuously expanded his sphere of activity
as exemplified by his staging of one-man plays and his full-scale
British debut with the play RED DEMON performed by
a multinational cast, as well as his new kabuki plays Noda-ban
Togitatsu no Utare (Noda Version of Togitatsu as the
Target of Vengeance) and Noda-ban Nezumi Kozo (Noda
Version of Robin Hood), both of which were staged at the Kabuki-za
theatre. With Noda-ban Togitatsu no Utare, Noda won
the grand prize at the First Asahi Performing Arts Awards.
In the forthcoming production of Macbeth, the theatrical genius
will finally take on the challenge of directing opera.
Macbeth is the first Shakespearean play Verdi successfully
adapted for opera. In his early years, the Italian composer
produced a series of great works, including Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar),
which inspired the patriotic spirit of his fellow countrymen,
and Macbeth is a monumental work from this period
in that he transcended the framework of traditional operatic
forms and opened up a new path of opera as dramatic theatre.
Filled with music as gloomy and dramatically tense as the
original play written by Shakespeare, Macbeth is
a serious work that portrays in depth the psychology of Macbeth
and his wife, who are both driven to derangement and the extremes
of humanity at the behest of prophecies, ambition, suspicions
and intrigue.
Noda’s direction characteristically has a unique sense
of momentum and boasts numerous original set designs and dramatic
ideas, yet on the other hand, it is also imbued with his constant
attempt to express the human soul’s cry through the
ages. How will he depict the fate of Macbeth, who is spooked
by the ghost of the dead that haunts and ultimately ruins
him? The collaboration between the powerful cast of singers,
including Wolfgang Brendel in the title role, and the production
staff, will open a new door for opera.
<Synopsis>
The setting is 11th century Scotland. In the
woods, Macbeth and his fellow general Banquo hear witches
predict that Macbeth shall be King of Scotland and that Banquo
shall be father of kings. Persuaded by his ambitious wife,
Macbeth murders Scottish King Duncan and is named the new
King of Scotland, but worried about the prophecy concerning
Banquo, he plots to kill his comrade-in-arms as well as his
son. Banquo's sun escapes and Macbeth is haunted by visions
of the dead. Meanwhile, together with Malcolm, son of the
assassinated Duncan, Macduff rises in revolt against Macbeth
|
