By MATTHEW GUREWITSCH [NY Times, 21 October 2007]
THOUGH few would deny that Verdiís ìMacbeth,î based on Shakespeareís tragedy, is a work of genius, experts may disagree about the true nature of Verdiís achievement. Adrian Noble, a former director of the Royal Shakespeare Company in London who has staged the play twice, points to Verdiís scene of Scottish refugees lamenting the state of their country under the tyrantís yoke, a far cry from Shakespeareís political game of cat-and-mouse among fugitive Scottish nobles.