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ARTS+LEISURE The Addison Independent
May 26, 2016
Macbeth, the opera A PREVIEW OF VERDI’S MASTERPIECE
Elizabeth Baldwin prepares for her understudy-role as Lady Macbeth during the first day of rehearsal last Thursday for the Opera Company of Middlebury’s upcoming production of “Macbeth.” The show opens June 3 and runs through June 11. INDEPENDENT PHOTO/TRENT CAMPBELL
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emember Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” from high school English class? Composer Giuseppe Verdi liked the play so much that in 1847 he transformed it into an opera. Over the years since, Verdi’s “Macbeth” has rarely been staged, but you can see it live when Opera Company of Middlebury’s production opens June 3 for a fiveperformance run.
BY DAVID WEINSTOCK
In an era when many American opera companies are struggling or even shutting down, the Opera Company of Middlebury has thrived. Audiences keep coming back and so do the artists. The title role will be taken by baritone Joshua Jeremiah, who sang Athanaël in OCM’s 2012 “Thaïs.” Jeremiah explains the creative draw: “The repertory that the company does is very special music that doesn’t often get done. Any opportunity to get to work on a piece like this anywhere I will absolutely jump at.”
I NEVER GET TO BE EVIL ... THERE AREN’T MANY FEMALE ROLES THAT HAVE THAT KIND OF POWER. SHE’S SO MANIPULATIVE AND BACKHANDED AND SMART.
Also returning to Middlebury is soprano Rochelle Bard, who was Violetta in OCM’s 2014 “La Traviata.” For her, the chance to play Lady Macbeth is a welcome change from her usual assignments as romantic lead. “I never get to be evil. I’m always the one who dies of consumption at the end,” Bard says. “There aren’t many female roles that have that kind of power. She’s so manipulative and backhanded and smart.” The main cast and Maestro Emmanuel Plasson and the orchestra will give four shows; the “covers,” or understudies, will also SEE OPERA ON PAGE 3