Spain Verdi, Macbeth: Chorus and Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu / Josep Pons (conductor). Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, 19 and 20.2.2023. (JMI)
Production:
Director, Sets and Costumes – Jaume Planes
Lighting – Urs Schönebaum
Choreography – Antonio Ruiz
Casts:
Macbeth – Luca Salsi / Željko Lučić
Lady Macbeth – Sondra Radvanovsky / Ekaterina Semenchuk
Banco – Erwin Schrott
Macduff – Francesco Pio Galasso / Celso Albelo
Malcolm – Fabián Lara
Lady-in-waiting – Gemma Coma-Alabert
Doctor / Macbeth’s Servant / Assassin / Herald – David Lagares
Macbeth is without doubt one of the greatest operas written by Giuseppe Verdi in his ‘galley years’. Performances are at all times awaited with curiosity, although doubts do come up due to the vocal difficulties that the rating presents to singers, particularly for the Macbeth couple.
The opera might final be despatched at Barcelona’s Liceu in 2016. There are two casts this time and, initially, famend singers had been introduced in each as the principle protagonists. Unfortunately, each Carlos Álvarez and Anna Pirozzi needed to cancel.
This is a brand new manufacturing from Catalan sculptor and engraver Jaume Plensa who, along with directing, was making his debut in opera staging. I used to be disenchanted in it – this supplied little greater than a live performance model would. The units include darkish curtains, a number of shifting parts and a few faces or masks that hold down at occasions. As for the costumes, they don’t add a lot both: the refrain is wearing black and doesn’t transfer on the stage, and the soloists are in costumes that appear higher suited to Turandot than Macbeth.
The stage path is virtually non-existent, and utilizing such an open stage clearly affected the projection of the voices. The stage is at all times darkish, and the one motion value mentioning is from the ballet that has been included.
The conductor was Josep Pons, musical director of the Liceu, who has by no means satisfied me in his conducting of romantic operas, and significantly of Verdi operas. It was all too noisy, with an absence of rigidity and the absence of any Verdian feeling, particularly through the first a part of the opera. Under his baton, the Liceu Symphony Orchestra was right, as was the refrain.
In the primary solid, Macbeth was carried out by Italian baritone Luca Salsi along with his well-known, engaging, ample voice. He sang with gusto, standing out in his arias and particularly in ‘Pietà, rispetto, amore’ (the place it appeared to me that ‘amore’ was modified to ‘onore’). He is considered one of at the moment’s necessary baritones, and he was affected by this very open manufacturing greater than as soon as.
In the second solid Macbeth was to have been Carlos Álvarez, however he canceled a while in the past resulting from well being issues. He was changed by baritone Željko Lučić, who had simply sung the a part of Scarpia in Tosca right here. Lučić isn’t at his greatest – time passes inexorably for everybody. His voice works effectively within the center, however he loses a little bit of coloration on the prime, the place he’s tighter and the sound is at all times in forte. It was all acceptable, however I missed Carlos Álvarez.
Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky as Lady Macbeth was returning to the Liceu the place she had a giant success as Tosca a number of weeks in the past. The largest ovations of the night time had been for her. She was certainly wonderful, though I believed her voice didn’t run like different occasions, considerably influenced by this stage manufacturing. She had no issues on the prime, along with her greatest second within the aria ‘Una macchia’.
The different cancellation got here from soprano Anna Pirozzi, who was changed by mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk. She was convincing on the entire: a powerful voice within the heart and an excellent interpreter. The drawback is that she is a mezzo-soprano, and the character is written for a dramatic soprano. That means there is a matter with the best notes: generally she avoids them and, at others, she is out of tune, as occurred on the finish of the sleepwalking scene.
Banco was performed on each nights by bass-baritone Erwin Schrott who did effectively, particularly in his Act II aria, though I personally favor an actual bass voice on this function.
Tenor Francesco Pio Galasso as Macduff supplied an interesting voice and was outstanding in his aria of the final act, ‘La paterna mano’. The second Macduff was tenor Celso Albelo, who sang the at all times awaited ‘La paterna mano’ pleasingly, though I discovered his voice lighter than the half and that aria require.
The three singers within the secondary characters had been wonderful: Fabián Lara (Malcolm), Gemma Coma-Alabert (Lady Macbeth’s Lady-in-waiting) and, in a number of roles, David Lagares.
José M. Irurzun