Recordings
Macbeth
. Ernest Bloch. Cond. Friedemann Layer. Macbeth. Cond. Friedemann Layer. Rec.
12 Sept. 2000. CD.
Symphony in C Sharp Minor Poems of the Sea
. Ernest Bloch. Cond. Dalia Atlas. London
Symphony Orchestra. CD.
Composed while Ernest Bloch was studying in Germany and before he moved to America,
the richly scored Symphony in C sharp minor fits within the romantic tradition of Richard
Strauss, Mahler and Bruckner.
Readings
The Ernest Bloch Companion.
Kushner, David Z. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2002
.
The evolution of Ernest Bloch’s music is traced throughout his travels in Europe and
America. A complete picture of Bloch emerges from this integrated study of his life and his
music.
Macbeth
. Shakespeare, William. Ed. A.R. Braunmuller and Stephen Orgel. N.p.: Penguin
Classic, 2000.
Considered one of his darkest and most powerful works, Shakespeare’s Macbeth
dramatized the corrosive psychological political effects produced when evil is chosen as a
way to fulfil the ambition for power.
A Feminist Companion to Shakespeare
. Callaghan, Dympna. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2000.
A series of essays exploring the female characters created by William Shakespeare. From
his tragedies to his comedies, explore the many women of Shakespeare: how they were
written and performed to tell some of history’s most famous stories.
Movies
Macbeth
. Dir. Rupert Goold. PBS, 2010. DVD.
Starring Sir Patrick Stewart as Shakespeare’s antihero gives one of his most memorable
performances. Reinterpreted and relocated to an underground netherworld, the
Shakespearean tragedy is heightened with an edgy style which evokes the atmosphere of
the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, with subtle parallels between Stalin and Macbeth
in their equally brutal quests for power. The design of the film punctuates the horror of
Macbeth’s murderous reign.
ShakespeaRe-Told: Macbeth
. Dir. Mark Brozel. 2005. DVD.
Set in successful restaurant owned by celebrity chef Duncan Docherty (Vincent Regan),
with Joe Macbeth (James McAvoy) as the sous chef and his wife Ella (Keeley Hawes) as the
Maître d’. Joe and his fellow chef Billy Banquo encounter three supernatural binmen who
predict their illustrious futures. Joe and Ella are inspired to kill Duncan, but the binmen
subsequently warn that Macbeth should be wary of Peter Macduff, the head waiter.
Throne of Blood
(Kumonosu-jo)
. Dir. Akira Kurosawa. Toho, 1957. DVD.
A 1957 Japanese film that transposes the plot of William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth to
feudal Japan. The film uses stylistic elements drawn from Noh drama. This passionate and
violent tale surrounds a war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to
fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider’s Web Castle.
RECOMMENDED
MACBETH
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