By Daniel Buckwalter

All hail Eugene Opera in this, its 50th anniversary season. All hail Giuseppe Verdi’s gloriously gloomy Macbeth. And all hail the singers who gave this masterpiece life at Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall.

And now and forever more, be sure to sidestep Lady Macbeth. You will be glad you did.

Eugene Opera’s jubilee season opened with standing ovations on Sept. 25 and 27, deservedly because Verdi’s operatic take on William Shakespeare’s play is every bit as dense and brooding as the text of the play itself — and Eugene Opera nailed it all.

Stage direction meant everything in this opera, especially when you consider the large number of bewildering dances by the witches and the almost constant movement of the company’s chorus.

Enter Keturah Stickann, a nationally known and much sought after dance coach and choreographer. She had her work cut out for her throughout this four-act drama — this can be a very busy opera — but everything went off without a hitch.

The sights were as good as the sounds.

As for the sounds, Craig Irvin as Macbeth and Kara Shay Thomson as Lady Macbeth (each making their Eugene Opera debut) were solid.

Thomson, especially, was convincing as the abhorrently manipulative and power-mad queen-in-waiting, always pushing the envelope with Macbeth toward raw violence against real — or imagined — foes. She is an opera villainess if ever there was one.

There were two revelations for me in these weekend performances. The first was tenor Bernard Holcomb. He sang with Eugene Opera in its 2024 production of La traviata, but I believe I may remember him more as Macduff in this production of Macbeth.

I will especially remember his achingly beautiful aria “Ah, la paterna mano” in Act IV, as he mourns the murder of his family and the fact that a father’s hand could not shield them from felonious treachery. That was fabulous to hear.

The second revelation, also a tenor, was Esteban Zúñiga Calderón as Malcolm, whom Macduff hails as the new King of Scotland after Macduff avenges the murder of his family by killing Macbeth.

Besides his singing talents, I was taken by Calderón’s acting chops. He was terrific as the eldest son of King Duncan (Charles Hammonds) and the rightful heir to the Scottish throne. It is the murder of King Duncan by Macbeth in Act I that begins this madness, and Malcolm now has the throne.

If you missed Macbeth, Eugene Opera has you covered with a New Year’s Eve party (titled “Carmen in Concert”) and a spring production of “A Little Night Music.”

Both events will be in the Hult Center’s Soreng Theater.

And remember: All hail Eugene Opera.

Editor’s Note: The Eugene Opera’s 50th anniversary season continues on Dec. 31, 2026 at 7:30 p.m., with a New Year’s Eve production of Carmen in Concert: A 50th Anniversary Celebration and New Year’s Eve Party; and at 7:30 p.m. on May 29 and 2:30 p.m. on May 30, 2027, with A Little Night Music; information and tickets available at eugeneopera.org