Elijah Moshinsky: Dissecting the Work of a World Renowned Opera Director

He's had a long and prolific career as a theatre, television and opera director working with some of the world’s greatest opera singers and now he's opened up his rehearsal studio as he prepares for his latest production of Verdi's opera Macbeth. Lindsay Leonard joins Elijah Moshinsky as he coaxes and cajoles his leads and chorus, from the first cup of coffee in a South London gymnasium, to curtain up at the grand Buxton Opera House. We get a taste of his mercurial directing style – a mix of humour, charisma and confrontation as he teases out rich layers of music, drama and human interaction. And we tap into the tension as he cuts through the complexity of bringing his own vision to a Verdi classic. It’s a test of enormous practical and emotional stamina.

(Photo credit:Jeff Busby)