GIUSEPPE Verdi’s Macbeth was the composer’s breakthrough piece inspired by Shakespeare, his literary hero.

It's a work of highly distilled drama and violent contrast, with three main protagonists: the flawed, murderous hero, his vicious, tortured wife and the witches who play with their ambitions.

English Touring Opera returns to Ulverston on Tuesday, March 19 (7.30pm), to perform Verdi's masterpiece.

The Olivier Award winning-company will bring a cast combining internationally celebrated opera stars with exciting young talent to the Coronation Hall, supported by a full scale orchestra and large chorus, conducted by Gerry Cornelius.

Apparently, appearing alongside ETO will be a local youngster, who will perform a small but pivotal role in the opera as Macduff’s son.

Making his ETO debut as director, James Dacre will have the task of bringing to life what was Verdi’s first masterpiece and the first of his many great adaptations of Shakespeare.

James, artistic director at the Royal and Durngate, returns to Shakespeare following his critically acclaimed 2015 Globe Theatre production of King John.

Verdi wrote that the play was "one of the greatest creations of the human spirit," and oversaw the Italian translation and libretto meticulously. He placed such emphasis on the dramatic arc of Shakespeare’s tragedy that he revolutionised the art form of opera with the extent to which he designed the score so as to completely serve the drama. This approach became a hallmark of Verdi’s later Shakespearian works: Othello and Falstaff. ETO will perform Andrew Porter’s English version of the libretto, which preserves much of the original Shakespeare.

Winner of the 2014 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, English Touring Opera is the most prolific touring opera company in the UK. Its outreach programme ranges from community operas and music theatre workshops to productions for young people and their families, featuring artists from the company’s shows, touring to schools across the nation. ETO is the only UK opera company nominated in the Education and Outreach category for the 2019 International Opera Awards. The company is also a national leader in the provision of arts for dementia sufferers.

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