This outstanding, knock-out production gives tremendous force to what is generally thought to be one of Verdi's lesser operas. With no sweet romance to counter-balance the tragedy, and the prima donna role an archetype of evil, Verdi chose a tough plot for his first attempt. The star of it all is Paoletta Marrocu who gives us a wonderfully acted, wonderfully sung Lady Macbeth, completely true to Shakespeare's original character. To compare her to Callas may be a bit much but you get the idea -- she inhabits the role, in voice and movement. Thomas Hampson as Macbeth is superb, with a rich, powerful voice always under perfect control and excellent acting too. The conducting by Franz Welser-Most brings the whole thing together, with tempi that really bring out the drama. The production, by David Pountney is kitschy, puzzling and distracting in spots, but on the whole much more interesting than a traditional period production would probably have been.
If you have never seen this opera, or if you have seen it and didn't care much for it, you MUST watch the version on this DVD.
If you have never seen this opera, or if you have seen it and didn't care much for it, you MUST watch the version on this DVD.