The Royal Opera’s Macbeth captures the spirit of Shakespeare’s tragedy, funnelled through Verdi’s genius
“…Two factors on the musical front elevated this performance to enable Macbeth to shine as the masterpiece it truly is. The cast worked brilliantly together with no overt ‘superstar’ but instead was a balanced ensemble full of talent both established and upcoming (of which more anon). But it is the sounds that came out of the pit that deserves unstinting praise. Daniele Rustioni clearly understands every microfibre of Verdi’s score; and then knows how to knit the strands together to forge an awe-inspiring whole. This is not late Verdi, so in a humdrum performance some of Verdi’s orchestral writing can easily appear routine; not once was that the case here, with rhythms finely sprung and orchestral colours beautifully, darkly, vibrant. If ever you had cause to doubt whether the Covent Garden orchestra was a full-grown international orchestra of the highest standard, despair thy curse: the ‘engine’ of this Macbeth was a Rolls Royce. Rustioni’s ability to work with the melodic line, creating endless melody almost, was remarkable and clearly inspired his singers, the second part of that musical dyad.
“…Talking of threes, Shakespeare gave us a Dark Trinity of witches; Verdi gives us a huge chorus of them, the Royal Opera Chorus’s female voices were in simply awe-inspiring form (as were the males for the less supernatural cast members). The Royal Opera Chorus is a magnificent entity and to hear it shine like this – again, with Rustioni giving the lines just the right amount of time to speak – was a privilege indeed.
A magnificent evening. Verdi requires great conductors. London is lucky in having had Sir Antonio Pappano once in charge and, for this run, Rustioni at the helm. A concerted effort, then, another triumvirate (conductor and orchestra/production/singers). Most of all is the way that the evening captures the spirit of Shakespeare’s tragedy, funnelled through the genius of Verdi. See a performance at Covent Garden or on Friday 26 November, Macbeth will be streamed live via ROH Stream. Unmissable.”
Seen and Heard International, Colin Clarke