This week the famed Festival Verdi in Parma is set to open in a revamped version that will feature some of the composer’s well-known works and a few curiosities. Among them will be Verdi’s “Macbeth” in its rarely performed French version with one of today’s greatest baritones Ludovic Tézier in the title role.

Today Tézier is one of the go-to Verdi baritones of his generation singing roles from “La Traviata,” “Il Trovatore,” “Rigoletto,” “Don Carlo,” “Simon Boccanegra,” “Otello,” and “La Forza del Destino,” among others. He has performed the composer’s music at the greatest theaters in the world and this week he will make his Parma debut in Verdi’s early masterpiece.

Tézier first sang the role of Macbeth at the Gran Teatre del Liceu during the 2016-17 season and received raves with critics noting he was best in his “Pietà, rispetto, amore” and his scenes with the witches. Critics also noted that the baritone gave “Macbeth a full voice, led with an immaculate sense of legato.”

The Parma production will mark his second time with the work and Tézier will get a chance to further develop his interpretation. Additionally, it will be the first time he sings the work in his native language, French, giving him more opportunities to discover another facet of the iconic character.

For those not in Parma, Tézier will follow his debut with a return to Barcelona for “Il Trovatore” followed by a production of “Otello” at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. He is also set to perform in Zurich, Paris, Vienna, and Monte-Carlo this season.

Recordings 

For those who are interested in hearing some of Tézier’s great Verdi interpretations, he is featured on a complete recording of “Aida” with Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros, “La Traviata” with Natalie Dessay, and “Don Carlo” from the Teatro Regio di Torino with Ramón Vargas. His first “Macbeth” was also recorded from the Liceu.

Here are some clips of his “Macbeth.”