"Macbeth" is Giuseppe Verdi’s (1813-1901) second of seven literary operas and is based on the drama of the same name by William Shakespeare. The premiere took place in 1847 at the Teatro alla Pergola in Florence, and revised versions were staged for the first time several years later in St. Petersburg and Paris.The creation of "Macbeth" falls into the late period of bel canto; Verdi dissolves the firmly established schemes in the singing and in this opera puts all his wealth of ideas into the focus of the orchestration, which was to become a signpost for his further compositions. The work was very well received on the whole, even if the lack of a love scene was criticized - in fact, "Macbeth" is one of the few operas whose plot is determined by greed for power and its resulting consequences.In 11th century Scotland, witches prophesy a future as king for the general Macbeth, which he acquires in a bloody manner. He is fired by his power-hungry wife, Lady Macbeth, whose character Verdi allows much greater room for maneuver than is the case in Shakespeare’s original. Macbeth’s tragic end concludes this opera rich in dramatic scenes.After several decades of oblivion, "Macbeth" is now part of the traditional Verdi repertoire and is performed on all the major stages.

Verdi’s work of old age and at the same time the last opera from his pen belongs to the genre of commedia lirica. The premiere of “Falstaff” took place to great acclaim at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1893 and ushered in a renaissance of comic opera at the turn of the century. Falstaff influenced, among others, the cheerful stage works of Richard Strauss and also the brilliant “Gianni Schicchi” by Giacomo Puccini.The character of Falstaff describes an old man, very obese and fond of drinking, poltrous, who sets out with shrewdness and quick-wittedness to replenish his dwindling financial reserves. This burlesque and entertaining story tells how he succeeds, what intrigues are forged and who ends up happy with whom.Arrigo Boito wrote a witty libretto based on William Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” (including scenes from “Henry IV”), which sparkles with wit and wordplay. Verdi composed the opera at the age of almost 80, and perhaps the fact that as a celebrated composer of the century he no longer had anything to prove to anyone may have contributed to the musical realization being so pointed, lively and authentic.