Theatrical events in the cinema have become one of the cultural
phenomena of the last decade, and opera has led the way. The
New York Met went first with their live HD relays, and others
like Glyndebourne have followed. It’s exciting to see the Royal
Opera House doing the same thing. This is a DVD release of their
Macbeth that was relayed into cinemas in 2011. It’s
very good all-round, well filmed and well captured in excellent
sound but, as it should be, it’s the performances of the two
leads that will capture the attention.
Simon Keenlyside and Liudmyla Monastyrska give one of the finest
portrayals of the couple that I have come across. In both cases
what lifts them into the category of the very special is the
way they manage to chart the character’s development. Macbeth
is a role that Keenlyside has grown into. He has the depth,
the charisma and the energy that make the role complex and interesting;
more than a great soldier laid low. His baritone is rounded
and complex, just right to capture the many facets of the character’s
journey. In the opening scene with the witches he comes across
as vulnerable and impressionable into the bargain. However,
he noticeably hardens in the second scene, and the dagger soliloquy
finds him tougher and less humane. Even in the great duet after
the murder his voice has more steel than remorse. This trajectory
continues right to his final aria, Mal per me, which
is extraordinary in its power and its sense of a life wasted.
Perhaps he goes a little too far into snarling in the “sound
and fury” sequence, but this remains an extraordinary interpretation
of the character that I would love to have heard live. He is
partnered by an equally exciting soprano in Liudmyla Monastyrska,
a new name to me. She, too, charts the character’s development
brilliantly, but she does so with quite extraordinary vocal
tools. Her opening salvo, Ambizioso spirto, is exhilarating
in its gleam, but cold with a palpable edge of steel which she
maintains throughout the scene. Her vocal equipment is thrilling
to listen to, however, not least in the coloratura of her cabaletta
and the Brindisi of the second act. However, she undergoes the
opposite journey to her husband so that, by the sleepwalking
scene, she has shaded down her vocal colour to be a shadow of
what it was. It’s a remarkable transition, and it makes the
sleepwalking scene so much more effective, not least when she
rises to a remarkable pianissimo in her final phrase. For these
two alone this DVD would be required viewing. The others are
fine, if not exceptional. Aceto sings Banquo’s aria very well
but the character is rather uninvolving. The same is true of
Macduff, though he isn’t quite as interesting to listen to.
Malcolm’s few stage moments go off well, but there’s no doubt
that it’s the Macbeths themselves who are the main draw here.
The production is fine too, stark in its contrasts of black,
red and gold. Lloyd adopts a fairly minimalist approach, relying
on lots of squares and cubes, most notably as an open cage where
Duncan is murdered and the Macbeths plot the future. It’s her
use of the witches that is most interesting. For her they are
not restricted to the scenes on the heath; they invisibly orchestrate
much of the action, most notably assisting the escape of Fleance
after Banquo’s murder. The third act begins with a fantastic
image of the great cube spinning around, controlled by the witches,
with Macbeth and his wife inside. The direction of the two leads
is very good and, while there isn’t much to say about the other
characters, there is nothing in the production to insult or
distract.
The chorus, so important in this opera, are very good indeed,
whether playing witches, murderers, soldiers or refugees. The
orchestra are fantastic too. Pappano’s direction is thrilling
throughout. In one of the short extra films - all fine if unremarkable
- he says that Macbeth is one of his favourite operas
and you can tell in the way he screws up the tension to a thrilling
climax in the chorus following Duncan’s murder. He shapes a
compelling, dark vision of the score and has a whale of a time
while doing so. The camera direction is always appropriate and
the DTS sound comes through very well.
An excellent release, altogether, and something that any fan
of the opera would enjoy.
Simon Thompson
Macbeth – Simon Keenlyside
[170:00]