The fall season of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino opens with tragedy and great music with Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi, on stage from Sunday, October 12, at 5 p.m. in the Sala Grande del Teatro del Maggio, with repeat performances on October 14, 17, and 19. Alexander Soddy returns to the podium to conduct the Maggio Orchestra and Choir, while Mario Martone directs and Mimmo Paladino designs the sets, also creating an impressive curtain painted on wood inspired by the famous Triumph of Death in Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo.
This is a new production that brings back to Florence a title deeply linked to the city, where, in 1847, at the Teatro della Pergola, Macbeth saw the light of day for the first time. A symbolic return, therefore, intertwining memory, art, and modernity, offering the audience an immersive experience in one of the most powerful dramas in Verdi’s repertoire.
Alexander Soddy: “Verdi’s music is extreme and wonderful”
After the success of Strauss’s Salome, which opened the 87th Maggio Festival, British conductor Alexander Soddy returns to Florence with a work he describes as “one of Verdi’s most fascinating and complex.” The maestro says he grew up with Shakespeare’s plays and has a special connection to Macbeth: “It is a drama full of chiaroscuro, a journey into the human mind. The music that Verdi builds around this tragedy is extraordinary, full of energy and tension, allowing us to explore all the psychological nuances of the characters.”
Soddy does not hide his enthusiasm for the cast: “Luca Salsi is the best Macbeth in the world, capable of embodying the power and fragility of the character. Vanessa Goikoetxea, making her debut in the role of Lady Macbeth, is incredible in her intensity and precision. Together with the Maggio Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Maestro Lorenzo Fratini, we will bring to life a soundscape in which every dramatic detail finds its voice.“
Mario Martone’s vision: ”A journey into the psyche of power”
Mario Martone’s direction transforms Macbeth into a visual and mental journey. “This story,” explains the director, “is an inner journey into the psyche of a man and a woman consumed by the desire for power. The witches, symbols of the forces that manipulate them, represent the dark energies that guide human actions, often without our realizing it.”
Martone constructs a stage space poised between dream and nightmare, where the boundary between reality and vision dissolves. “We live in a time,” he continues, “when the madness of power is there for all to see. Macbeth is a reflection of this world, a parable that reminds us how easily ambition can turn into destruction.”
Mimmo Paladino’s set design dialogues with this idea, mixing matter, light, and symbolism. The large curtain painted on wood, inspired by The Triumph of Death, becomes a visual threshold between the real world and the inner world, a frame that anticipates the dark and profound tone of the performance.
Luca Salsi: “Macbeth is the character that best represents me.”
In the title role, Luca Salsi returns to the Florentine stage with one of the most beloved roles of his career. “Macbeth is a work that I feel deeply connected to,” he says. “I’ve performed it more than 150 times, and every time I discover new nuances. It’s a complex role, not only vocally but also psychologically: a man who slips into madness, consumed by the weight of power and guilt.”
Working with Mario Martone, he explains, “is a stimulating experience. Martone pushes you to delve into the emotional truth of the character, avoiding emphasis and excess. In this production, we work on the essence: on the inner nuances, on the silence that precedes guilt.“
Salsi also emphasizes his relationship with Soddy: ”He is a very talented conductor with a precise idea of theatrical rhythm. His conducting brings to life a Macbeth that is alive, pulsating, never static.”
Vanessa Goikoetxea: “Lady Macbeth is a cruel woman but capable of love.”
Lady Macbeth is played by soprano Vanessa Goikoetxea, who returns to Maggio after her success in Tosca in 2024. For her, her debut in Verdi’s repertoire comes with one of the most difficult and intense roles in opera. “Lady Macbeth,” she explains, “is a complex, cruel, and determined figure, but also deeply human. Behind her ambition lies love, albeit distorted. Verdi was able to convey her soul in every note.”
Goikoetxea describes working with Soddy as “a constant dialogue, full of energy and respect for the text’. Every phrase, every word becomes part of a language that unites theater and music: ”It’s a role that lives in nuances, and working alongside an artist like Luca Salsi is a privilege. He is a generous stage partner, capable of making every scene alive and believable.”
A production that speaks to the present
The creative team is completed by Ursula Patzak for costumes, Pasquale Mari for lighting and video, Alessandro Papa as video designer, Raffaella Giordano for choreography, and Barbara Bessi as set designer. Every visual and audio element contributes to creating a Macbeth that speaks to the present: a story about power, guilt, and human fragility.
Florence, which hosted the premiere of Verdi’s masterpiece in 1847, once again confirms its status as a stage of excellence for grand opera. Almost two centuries later, the link between Giuseppe Verdi, William Shakespeare, and the Tuscan city continues to intertwine in a lively dialogue between music, words, and images.
The Macbeth of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 2025 is more than a performance: it is an immersive experience, a journey into the darkness of the human soul where art and history meet under the vibrant light of the Florentine theater.
