Macbeth [Import]

Bloch (Artist), Lafont (Artist), Hatziano (Artist), Layer (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 2000)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Musicales Actes Sud
• ASIN: B00004UFGQ
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #697,045 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Intro - Montpellier PO Languedoc-Roussillon/Friedemann Layer

2. 'D'ou Viens-Tu? Sur Le Champ De Bataille...' - Sophie Fournier/Hanna Schaer/Ariene Stamboulides

3. 'Oh Macbeth! Voyez Ces Creatures Fletries - Jacque Trussel

4. Macbeth! Plus Rapides Que La Grele...' - Jean-Philippe Marliere

5. Act I, Scene 1. Une Salle Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Et Puis...Elles Disparurent' - Jean-Philippe Lafont

6. Act I, Scene 1. Une Salle Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Seigneur, Le Roi Vient!' - Franck Bard

7. Act I, Scene 1. Une Salle Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'O Fidele Epouse De Mon Fidele Macbeth' - Christer Bladin

8. Act I, Scene 1. Une Salle Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Je Suis Vieux, Malcolm' - Christer Bladin

9. Act I, Scene 1. Une Salle Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Ah! Si La Chose Une Fois Faite' - Jean-Philippe Lafont

10. Act I, Scene 1. Une Salle Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Ecoute: Quand Duncan...' - Markella Hatziano

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Act II: Une Salle D'apparat Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Ces Hommes Sont La?' - Jean-Philippe Lafont

2. Act II: Une Salle D'apparat Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Partis! Partis! Pour Toujours!' - Jean-Philippe Lafont

3. Act II: Une Salle D'apparat Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Qu'entends-Je Mylords?' - Jean-Philippe Lafont

4. Act II: Une Salle D'apparat Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Que Vois-Je? Plus De Place Pour Moi' - Jean-Philippe Lafont

5. Act II: Une Salle D'apparat Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'O Macbeth! Pourquoi?' - Markella Hatziano

6. Act II: Une Salle D'apparat Dans Le Chateau De Macbeth: 'Oui, Je Tiens Dans Mes Bras' - Jean-Philippe Lafont

7. Act III, Scene 1. Une Caverne Tenebreuse: 'La Chatte A Miaule' - Sophie Fournier/Hanna Schaer/Ariene Stamboulides

8. Act III, Scene 1. Une Caverne Tenebreuse: 'Que Faites-Vous Donc, Sorcieres Tenebreuses?' - Jean-Philippe Lafont

9. Act III, Scene 1. Une Caverne Tenebreuse: 'Macbeth! Macbeth!' - Mojtek Smilek/Annie Vavrille

10. Act III, Scene 1. Une Caverne Tenebreuse: Interlude Orchestral - Montpellier PO Languedoc-Roussillon/Friedemann Layer

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Opera, Powerful Performance, November 1, 2007

By 

Nicholas A. Deutsch (Tarrytown, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macbeth (Audio CD)

Bloch's only opera had its premiere in Paris in 1910, when the composer was 30. It's a pity that he never wrote another one, because the score shows a great natural talent for the theater. Though the influence of Wagner, Musorgsky & Debussy is obvious, the music has a distinctive, dark sound, both harmonically and orchestrally, which suits the violent, bloody story (closely based on Shakespeare) very well. It's a score of real substance, and the scenes between Macbeth & Lady Macbeth are set with particular psychological subtlety. Overall, I find this one of the most rewarding and fascinating rediscoveries of French-language opera in recent years, and recommend it to anyone with a taste for music drama of this era.
This was the 1st complete recording to be issued: like the 2nd one (on Capriccio), it preserves a live performance, but otherwise the 2 versions are very different. This one stems from a concert conducted expertly by Friedemann Layer, with the excellent Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpellier L.-R., & a generally strong cast headed by Jean-Philippe Lafont & Markella Hatziano. The French is mostly native - a definite plus in this work - & there's a full libretto and good notes (French only, but if you have a copy of the play on hand you should be able to follow the action). Layer makes one big cut, Act II, Scene 2 - the "Lady Macduff scene": this omission is composer-sanctioned, though perhaps regrettable on both dramatic & musical grounds.
The other set comes from the German stage premiere in Dortmund (1998). It's an exciting performance which confirms the music's theatrical power, while slighting some of its subtleties. (It also shows that the piece can work even without a single native speaker in the cast: the French ranges from decently schooled to pretty murky.) Act II, Scene 2 is included, though slightly abridged & with the unfortunate substitution of a tenor for a mezzo-soprano in the "trousers" role of Macduff's Son. There are over a dozen other cuts of varying length, with the result that the playing time is actually slightly shorter than this version. Finally, there is no libretto, only a skimpy synopsis. My recommendation: get this Actes Sud version; then, if you really fall in love with the piece, you may want to hear the Capriccio performance for its raw dramatic energy & the "missing" scene.