About the work
Macbeth is an opera in three acts by Ernest Bloch to a French libretto by Edmond Fleg, based on Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. Bloch composed the work between 1904 and 1906; it premiered on 30 November 1910 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.
Plot
The Scottish general Macbeth is driven to regicide by the prophecy of three witches and his wife's ambition. Consumed by guilt and madness, he commits further murders until he falls in battle against his enemies.
Cultural significance
Despite tensions among the cast and a rather cool critical reception, Bloch's only opera ran for 15 performances and is regarded today as a significant contribution to early 20th-century French settings of Shakespeare.