For winter of 1863-1864 Verdi and his wife, Giuseppina, went,
as usual, from their home in Bussetto to the more temperate Genoa.
Apart from Verdi’s usual trips to Turin, when his attendance
was required at Italy’s first National Parliament, their
restful sojourn was also interrupted by a visit from his Paris
representative and friend Léon Escudier. He brought an
enquiry from Paris’s Théâtre Lyrique asking
if the composer would write ballet music for insertion into
Macbeth of
1847, for performance at the Théâtre. This was his
tenth opera. Later, when a formal approach was made, Verdi’s
response was more than Escudier could have hoped for, indicating
that he wished to undertake a radical revision in French. Verdi’s
changes for
Macbeth included new arias for Lady Macbeth
in act 2, with the conventional two verse
Triofonai securo being
replaced by
La Luce langue (ch.15), its chromaticism being
in his later more mature style. He also made substantial alterations
to act 3 including the inclusion of the Ballet,
de rigueur for
Paris, (ch.22) and the concluding duet
ora di morte for
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after Macbeth’s second visit to
the witches (CH.25). In act four Verdi rewrote the opening chorus
Patria
oppressa (ch.26), added the thrilling battle scene and replaced
Macbeth's death scene with the final
inno de Victoria as
Macduff reports that he has killed Macbeth (ch.34).
This performance of
Macbeth is the second DVD recording
issued by Naxos from the 2007 Sferisterio Opera Festival. It
follows Donizetti’s
Maria Stuarda (see
review).
Both were recorded by the Italian company Dynamic and are issued
by Naxos under licence. Dynamic themselves issued the third opera
of the 2007 Festival, Bellini’s
Norma, some time
ago (see
review).
There are major differences in the presentation between the Dynamic
and Naxos issues. The former use two DVDs and claims “
filmed
in high definition”
, whilst Naxos issues the
recordings on one dual layer disc. I have to report that I find
no difference in the quality of the sound or picture between
the two. What
is different is the presentation and detail
in the accompanying booklet. The Dynamic issue has a background
essay and a plot synopsis in Italian, English, German and French.
The Naxos has an essay in German and English only. Naxos issues
however, score more highly in having significantly more Chapter
divisions, a detailed Chapter-related synopsis and very welcome
artist profiles.
The Sferisterio Opera Festival is held in the open air in the
curved Arena in Macerata, a city in the Marche area of Italy
that has hosted a Festival for over thirty years. It is in one
of the most unusual arena venues. Originally built in the 1820s
it was designed for
pallone, a ball game called involving
ricochets off the long wall. The massive curved back wall is
largely shielded by the nature of the set. The width of stage
frequently challenges producers. Not so the vastly experienced
Pier Luigi Pizzi who is the latest to attempt to put Sferisterio
more firmly centre-stage among Italy’s Opera Festivals.
Pizzi uses the width of the stage with red centred raked walkways
sloping from a raised central dais on which is situated a red
throne, and later, two. The costumes are in period with the addition
of plenty of crimson red and black, including red rubber gloves
and shoulder pads for the second appearance of the witches (ch.21).
Macbeth is
a dark tragedy with plenty of blood and Pizzi highlights the
contrasts of the black of death and the red of blood whenever
possible to good dramatic effect. Apart from the change of thrones,
and some props such as tables front-stage in the banqueting scene
(ch.18), the set is unchanged. Space and effect is wrought by
use of plenty of ‘smoke’ from the ice machine around
and along the raked walkways and on the front-stage. The apparitions
are represented by the actors and singers walking across the
top tier, the last holding a mirror in allusion to his lineage
of future kings. If anything they were too real and lacked the
surreal effect I recall from the Glyndebourne
Macbeth of
1972.
For Pier Luigi Pizzi it perhaps seemed as though lightning did
strike twice when, as with the production of
Maria Stuarda referred
to above, the singer scheduled for the eponymous role withdrew.
As I report in my review of the Donizetti opera, the replacement
meant that the scheduled singer was hardly missed. But Verdi-sized
voices are not two a penny on the international stage these days.
Yet again Pizzi was fortunate in his choice of Giuseppe Altomare
whose singing and acting do not let the side down. Although lacking
the vocal weight and intensity of the ideal Verdi baritone, he
has something of a hole in the middle of the voice when he puts
pressure on his tone. Perhaps aware of this limitation, he husbands
his resources and compensates with careful phrasing, adequate
variety of colouration and characterisation as well as committed
acting. By the last act some tiredness has taken its toll and
his tone is a little dry as he finally walks wearily and open-armed
to be speared by Macduff (ch.33).
As is well known, Verdi did not want a beautiful singing voice
per
se for his conception of Lady Macbeth, specifying that the “
voice
should be hard, stifled and dark”. Like her Macbeth,
the Ukrainian soprano Olha Zhuravel lacks the ideal weight of
voice for the part. Whereas he compensates with the vocal skills
outlined, she brings the role to life via her acting. I have
never seen such a feline and fully involved interpretation of
the Lady since Josephine Barstow at Glyndebourne in 1972, a performance
caught on Arthaus Musik 101 095 in a regrettably cut edition.
Like Barstow, Olha Zhuravel dominates the scenes by dint of her
physicality and force of acted personality. By the sleepwalking
scene (ch.30), with hair grey and looking haggard, her vibrato
and lack of tonal variety is more obvious. Zhuravel is at her
best when reading her husband’s letter recounting his meeting
with the witches and their portents (ch.7) and in the drama of
the banqueting scene (ch.18). In its totality hers is a formidably
acted and involving portrayal that contributes significantly
in bringing Pizzi’s conception alive.
Pavel Kudinov contributes strong and sonorous tone as Banquo
(ch.17). Worthy singing from the two tenors as Macduff and Malcolm
complements the strong vibrant chorus in the last act, and elsewhere,
whilst the ballet is interpreted with appropriate expression.
On the rostrum Danielle Callegari gives Verdi’s creation
its full due, matching the differing styles of the later and
earlier music to give a cohesive whole. The video director works
an involving balance between close-up and wider distant shots
that encompass the stage width. The sound is clear, vivid and
well-balanced, catching the vibrancy of the all-important chorus
contribution particularly well. The Italian-only libretto can
be accessed at the
Naxos
website.
Robert J Farr