Customer Reviews

Verdi: Macbeth (Royal Opera House) (Opus Arte: OABD7095D) [Blu-ray] [2012] [2010]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have to respectfully disagree with JL's review.

This revival at Royal Opera House of Phyllida Lloyd's Macbeth ran from 24th May 2011 to 18th June 2011 and there was only one performance (13th June) which was filmed and transferred to DVD. It was also relayed in cinemas.

The production is already available on DVD with Carlos Álvarez & Maria Guleghina in the title roles but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the DVD of this revival with this cast. Simon Keenlyside & Liudmyla Monastyrska are outstanding as Macbeth & Lady Macbeth; Raymond Aceto & Dimitri Pittas give excellent portrayals of Banco & Macduff respectively and the minor roles are performed extremely well especially the beautiful cameo of the Doctor & Lady-in-Waiting (Lukas Jakobski & Elisabeth Meister). The Royal Opera Chorus is superb with wonderful choruses of the witches & the refugees & Maestro Pappano in the pit is on sparkling form as usual.

I saw the dress rehearsal & this DVD is nothing like the dress rehearsal. I also saw two performances & the live cinema relay & I'm just so pleased I have a permanent reminder of some of the finest opera I have ever seen.

This is my favourite opera of Verdi's first phase, his 10th to be precise... However, the revisions of 1865 is probably the reason why it doesn't sound much less Verdi-ish than his later works.

Firstly, - YAY!!!! NO MACHINE GUNS AND STUFF ON THE STAGE.... This is a very down-to-earth as well as a truly modern production of Macbeth without resorting to cheap symbolism that has started becoming a little trying on a home video viewer who loves to watch a disc over and over.... Sets though bordering on minimal, are quite very adequate. The video is just superb and the sound recording follows suit.

Keenlyside and Monastyrska according to me, make a perfect Macbeth pair... unlike many other productions where the baritone overpowers the soprano to an extent. I prefer Thomas Hampson's (or for that matter Tcherniakov's)voice per se, but we have in Keenlyside, a very sensitive lyrical type of a Baritone, who, by the virtue of his rather softer more subtle delivery of text and voice, plays a brilliant Macbeth to the rather powerful (voiced) delivery of Monastyrska as Lady Macbeth. I have no qualms in proclaiming that Monastyrska is MY type of Lady Macbeth - very manipulative chillingly cold-blooded woman to rule over a powerful but weak-minded individual like Macbeth - never mind if she sings a little sharp at times. I personally feel that Hampson/ Monastyrska hypothetically may not have pulled it off so well.

We are also blessed with an excellent Banquo (Aceto), but the rest of the cast of individual singers though quite adequate, are not really in the class of the main three.
Although the witches do a great job, somehow, their costumes could have been different, and if they wanted the turbans, perhaps beards too could have been in order... after all, it is in the script, but most of the ladies are quite good looking, and the producer perhaps did not want to take that away from them...

What makes this production truly worth owning is the way Papano has interpreted the score. The orchestra is never found wanting, never overpowers the singers, and the choruses are just superlative.
Yes sir, I would definitely recommend this recording to anyone...

If the concept behind Phyllida Lloyd's direction at the Royal Opera House production of Verdi's Macbeth (revived here under director Harry Fehr) isn't immediately obvious and doesn't seem totally coherent, it's perhaps because the marriage of Verdi and Shakespeare itself in this earlier opera of the composer (unlike the magnificent later adaptations Otello and Falstaff) isn't the most consistent or coherent either. Lloyd's production however remains faithful to Verdi's imperfect interpretation of the work, working closely to mirror the tone of the production with what Simon Keenlyside, in an accompanying interview on the DVD and Blu-ray, vividly describes as the "black tides" of Verdi's score. Partly, that's mirrored in the black, white and red colour schemes, but there's also a sense that the production wants to put all the dark violence, all the horror and its consequences right up there on the stage also.

Here the true nature of the violence is made ever present, and the full extent of its consequences made real. The reign of blood that is embarked upon is visible throughout here and no amount of hand-washing will completely erase it. The stage is often littered with the bodies of Macbeth's crimes that usually take place off-stage, and since all this is so vividly described in Verdi's score, why shouldn't it? Directing the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano seems determined also to tease out some greater subtleties in the score that aren't really there (although the Currentzis/Tcherniakov production for the Paris Opera would beg to differ) and, consequently, it's a little bit too delicate when a bit of a heavier punch would be more appropriate, but it does nonetheless manage to draw that gloomy darkness out of the work very well. For all its efforts to put the horror up on the stage and the close attention paid to the score however, there's initially a detachment between the orchestration and the performances in Act I at least, which seems to be down to there not being enough attention paid to the acting. Things warm up a little by the end of Act II, Act III's potions, prophesies and apparitions are delightfully staged, and thereafter the deepening horror of the drama and the score starts to make the full extent of its presence felt.

At the very least, the listener will be beaten into submission - as they should be - by the singing and presence of Lady Macbeth. The formidable ringing tone and sheer power of Ukranian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska's voice certainly achieves that, even if there isn't always an emotional depth behind her pronouncements and her acting ability is practically non-existent. With that voice, and Verdi behind it, that's not something to worry about in this particular opera however. On the lighter end of the register Simon Keenlyside is a true Verdi baritone. His consideration of his lines and delivery of them makes real the forced bravado and the underlying horror of his fate that lies in his character. That's quite impressive, particularly in his death scene aria 'Mal per me' (the opera working from Verdi's 1865 revision of the opera, but successfully reinstating some of the 1847 cuts like this one). Banquo is also well served by American bass, Raymond Aceto, and his Gran Scena 'Studia il passo, o mio figlio' is sung very well.

The Blu-ray release of Macbeth is up to the expected high standards, the strong high contrast lighting showing good detail, while the mixing on both the PCM Stereo and DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1 tracks give a fine account of the score, the mixing (along with Pappano's conducting), achieving a good balance between the orchestration and the singing voices. Extras on the BD include a Cast Gallery, Behind the Scenes Rehearsals and Interviews with Simon Keenlyside, Raymond Aceto and Liudmyla Monastyrska. Subtitles are in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish.

Stage director Phyllida Lloyd's production for Covent Garden is quite dark in more than one way, not only does it accentuate the thirst for power and bloodshed, but the staging and costumes are predominantly black and red which only serves to heighten the tension of the opera. My only other visual encounters with the opera are the aging 1972 Glyndebourne production and that of the more recent Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, from 2004. While both these productions have their merits, this new production far and away outstrips then, not least in musicality and the sheer brooding tension of the opera.
This is the strongest company of singers of all thee productions I have seen, it is vocally well balanced with every member of the cast giving their all. Simon Keenlyside is excellent in the title role, his rich baritone voice being more suited to the role than either Kostas Paskalis or Carlos Alvarez. It is however the political machinations of his wife, Lady Macbeth, around which both play and opera revolve, and in Liudmyla Monastryrska we have the ideal person to portray her lust for power. In many ways she steals the show, the intensity in her voice and her acting making her performance one of the main highlights of the production. With Raymond Aceto giving an ideal performance as Banquo, making this the finest trio I have seen. This is very much an ensemble performance, with all, from the least of the soloists to the excellent Covent Garden Chorus and Orchestra, under the inspired leadership of Antonio Pappano, deserving the highest praise!
The extras are interesting, although the cast gallery is not big enough, showing only a few of the characters. The interviews with Keenlyside, Aceto and Monastryrska give us some insight into their thoughts about the roles they play; although you get the impression that Keenlyside had a lot more to say than is presented here. The final extra is `Rehearsing Macbeth with Antonio Pappano', thankfully it's not just clips of rehearsals but contains an interspersed interview with Pappano in which he gives his insight into the opera. The booklet gives a good introduction and synopsis to the opera, I only wish it gave a track list, this seems to be a common fault in recent Opus Arte DVD's a track list is a useful aid to the viewer and as such should be included!
This is a wonderful production, a feast for both eyes and ears, and one which I cannot recommend highly enough, a must for all opera fans!

I didn't see this production live in the theatre so I'm unable to comment on its merits as a live performance however on DVD there is definitely something lacking.

But first the good points. The singing is first class with no weak points in any of the singers. Keenleyside has an elegant baritone and puts it do good use here with a Macbeth that is robust but not snarling. Monastryska has a vivid and exceptional soprano voice and is everything you would want Lady Macbeth to sound like. I found some of the coloratura a little 'false' (for want of a better word) but never disasterous as it can be with lesser voices.

For the most part I found the production inoffensive but with no particular insight to give. The witches were annoying however and ill-conceived and not exactly threatening.

However the downside for me was the lack of dramatic thrust - especialy from Lady M. Unfortunatly the soprano, while having an excellent voice, did not cut the mustard dramatically for me. Not having seen her in any thing else I'm not sure if this was the fault of the production, lack of rehearsal time or that she simply isn't an actress - I'd probably guess the latter. She seemed to wear an all-purpose expression of anger/disdain for most of the opera and reminded me of opera singers in years gone by with standard stock gestures and arm movements - definitely a throw back. Given the importance of Lady M in the opera this is a major drawback and for all the dramatic attention to detail she could having been singing from the Yellow Pages.

So, a mixed bag for me but fabulous singing and wonderful conducting from Pappano makes it still worth a look - or listen.

This version of Macbeth is the revised Paris version 1864-1865,minus the ballet but keeping the original 1847 Macbeth death aria Mal per me.Phyillida Lloyd and Harry Fehr revive the 2002 staging. A series of stark images in a basic box-set with shuttering walls used the strong symbol of a gilded cage as an image of the dangers of assuming the throne. Colour on the stage is limited to grey,black and dull red. The costumes are traditional. The witches are dressed in black and have red turbans.

Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House with fast tempos and brings out the melodies. Simon Keenlyside is Macbeth,but his baritone voice is too light for the part,which should be darker like Carlos Alvarez who sings in the new Bluray La Forza del destino. Or Renato Bruson in the DVD of Macbeth conducted by Sinopoli.However,having written that I still like his rendition of the part.Lady Macbeth is Liudmyla Monastyrska who is a huge woman who has a big voice but cannot act. Banquo is sung by Raymond Aceto finely, as are the other parts well done. This is an opera that both traditionalists and modernists should like.

All regions. dts HD. 16.9.

Good speedy service. Would recommend. Bought this after seeing her in Met's Nabucco. Go for it you'll not be disappointed

What is it with opera producers and beds? They turn up in the strangest of places - here in the `Patria' scene at the start of act 4. No wonder MacBeth was defeated , he spent most of his time in bed! Despite that, as the production rather neatly pointed out, he had no children.
The production used a lot of symbolism (blood, hand washing, beds, cages etc.) for me this was rather overdone and didn't always work. For example: the large cage worked quite well at the end of the opera, MacBeth getting trapped in there by MacDuff. However it didn't work at all well in the banqueting scene which consequently fell rather flat. The witches costumes presumably symbolized something but I couldn't figure out what - as a result they just looked strange - rather Turkish and not at all witch like. However I liked the idea of the witches driving things along - including helping Banquo's son escape.
The performances were all very good - I particularly enjoyed Liudmyla Monastryrska as Lady MacBeth. Antonio Pappano and the Royal Opera House Orchestra were at there usual very high standard.
Audio, Video and Video Editing are all excellent.

I only recently discovered the merits of Simon Keenlyside whilst at the Royal Opera House June 2011 to see Macbeth which was excellent both the production and the performances. When I realised that the DVD was now available recently I hoped I would not be disapointed. I was not and the DVD is really excellent and I would thoroughly recommend to all and I am Scottish.and know the story so well..

I am a great fan of Antonio Pappano and Simon Keenleyside, but this production has problems. Act 1 is a struggle to co-ordinate the music, acting and singing together - its more like a dress rehearsal when the actors are still not 100% sure of their parts and are still feeling their way. Things seem to settle down a little towards the end of Act 2 and better again in Act 3, as though these sections were filmed on a different night when the actors are more sure of themselves. For me the star of the opera was, without doubt, Lady Macbeth, as she seemed to be the only person keeping the thread of the opera moving along towards its grim climax and she certainly can sing the part.

This dvd is a great disappointment - it doesn't work - probably a great production in the mind's eye, but a total failure on stage.