Giuseppe Verdi appreciated great literature. He was a voracious reader who found inspiration in the works of contemporary writers as well as those from the past.

Verdi counted among his favorite authors William Shakespeare, of whom he once wrote, "He is one of my very special poets … I read and reread him continually." In fact, Verdi admired Shakespeare's plays so much that he used them as the basis for three of his operas.

The first of these Shakespeare works is "Macbeth," which premiered in 1847 and is from the same period as "Nabucco" and "Ernani." (Some 40 years later, Verdi would return to Shakespeare for "Otello" and "Falstaff," which is loosely based on "The Merry Wives of Windsor.")

After an absence of 15 years, Utah Opera is bringing "Macbeth" back to the Capitol Theatre starting this Saturday.

Conductor Joseph Rescigno, who was last seen in Salt Lake City conducting Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca," believes "Macbeth" is Verdi's first true masterpiece.

"This is his first great opera," he told the Deseret News. "It's his first unique opera where he breaks away from the bel canto tradition."

The influences of Berlioz and Beethoven are clearly discernible, Rescigno said. "You can hear Berlioz in the witches and sleepwalking scenes and Beethoven in the rhythms."

Rescigno met with the Deseret News recently in the Utah Opera Production Studios to talk about "Macbeth." Also taking part in the discussion were stage director Stephanie Sundine, soprano Brenda Harris and baritone Louis Otey.

"Macbeth" has been one of the few Verdi operas (if one doesn't include the very early works) that isn't performed as often as it deserves. It's occasionally staged, but performances are rare.

"It's a big piece," Sundine said. "There are a lot of special effects, and it has a big chorus with a lot of quick costume changes. Utah Opera makes it look like the problems with it are easily solved, but it's a challenge."

Sundine added that directing it also poses a number of problems. "You have to pay a lot of attention to details in the set, costumes, props and lighting, but it's totally worth it."

The set is from New Orleans Opera, which Sundine is familiar with. "I've directed it with this set before. It's a unit set with not a lot of props." And with all the scene changes that the story demands, this set allows the action to flow. "You can concentrate on the drama and emotion," she added.

Looking at it from the conductor's perspective "Macbeth" is easy, if one understands it, Rescigno said. "It's fabulous to conduct, but you have to understand the layers and colors in the score. It gives you a chance to be creative."