Opera Scotland

Macbeth 1966Glasgow Grand Opera Society

Read more about the opera Macbeth

The first of Verdi's great Shakespearian operas, and one with such obvious Scottish links, Macbeth was still a relative rarity in performance - even rarer was the inclusion of the full ballet music. Here the large chorus of 65 and orchestra of 38 were joined by a group of dancers. Six, including the only man, appeared in Carmen, but the Macbeth contingent consisted of five women, representing Spirits of Comfort, while the Spirits of Darkness totalled thirteen, including that solitary man. In addition, Hecate was danced by the choreographer, Catharine Marks.

The short singing roles - Apparitions, Servant and Murderer - and silent roles, such as King Duncan, are not separately identified in the programme, but simply listed as 'other parts played by' Irene Brackenridge, Fiona MacLaren, Betty Lynch, David Lind, Ian Martin Will, George C Muir and Willis Hutton.