Macbeth, Royal Opera

Macbeth, Royal Opera | reviews, news & interviews

Macbeth, Royal Opera

Stunning soprano and firm conducting salvage this unworthy Verdi staging

by David NiceTuesday, 24 May 2011

Liudmyla Monastyrska, a tireless driving force, and Simon Keenlyside as the MacbethsBoth images by Clive Barda

The staging smacks of Covent Garden's familiar Verdi-by-numbers - surprising since it's the often inventive Phyllida Lloyd's concept, revived by Harry Fehr, but it might as well be the inert pageantry of Elijah Moshinsky - while the necessary singing-acting, no doubt as a result, is mostly one-dimensional and overcooked. Verdi's first confident shot at music-theatre, revised for Paris in 1864 but already vivid in outline four years before Rigoletto broke the mould, deserves better. At least it enjoys firm-of-purpose conducting by Antonio Pappano and one vocal performance of unflagging brilliance.

There was no fear or terror in Verdi's great, lightning-flash operatic condensation of "Is this a dagger?"

Explore topics

Share this article

The future of Arts Journalism

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

more Opera

Help to give theartsdesk a future! Support our GoFundMe appeal

The Excursions of Mr Brouček, LSO, Rattle, Barbican review - sensuousness, fire and comedy in perfect balance Janáček’s wacky space-and-time-travel opera glows and grips in every bar

Pimpinone, Royal Opera in the Linbury Theatre review - farce with a sting in its tail Telemann’s comic opera hits the mark thanks to two fine, well-directed young singers

Die Walküre, Royal Opera review - total music drama Kosky, Pappano and their singers soar on both wings of Wagner’s double tragedy

Simon Boccanegra, Opera North review - ‘dramatic staging’ proves its worth Verdi’s political tragedy - and plea for peace - has impact in a grand Yorkshire setting

Peter Grimes, Welsh National Opera review - febrile energy and rage In every sense a tour de force

Owen Wingrave, RNCM, Manchester review - battle of a pacifist Orpha Phelan brings on the big guns for Britten’s charge against war

Tales of Apollo and Hercules, London Handel Festival review - compelling elements, but a failed experiment Conceptually the two cantatas just don't work together

La finta giardiniera, The Mozartists, Cadogan Hall review - blooms in the wild garden Mozart's rambling early opera can still smell sweet

Der fliegende Holländer, Irish National Opera review - sailing to nowhere Plenty of strong singing and playing, but the staging is static or inept

Die Zauberflöte, Royal Academy of Music review - first-rate youth makes for a moving experience The production takes time to match Mozart's depths, but gets there halfway through

Mansfield Park, Guildhall School review - fun when frothy, chugging in romantic entanglements Jonathan Dove’s strip-cartoon Jane Austen works well as a showcase for students

Follow @theartsdesk