Verdi: ’Patria oppressa’ | Opera Australia Chorus

Performed at Sydney Opera House, September 2011. In this scene from Verdi’s Macbeth, (Act IV, Scene I: ’Patria oppressa’ or ’Down-trodden country’) the refugees of Scotland gather near Birnam Wood to lament the losses caused by Macbeth’s tyrannous ascension to the throne. This scene depicts the misery of the people of Scotland, and the reason for Macduff’s pledge to seek revenge for the suffering of the Scottish people. It is sung by the Opera Australia Chorus. The overwhelming feeling of oppression from death and despair is communicated through this patriotic lamentation, the translation of which can be seen below.