Customer Reviews

Verdi: Macbeth

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The 'Listener from Santa Fe' is surely a very shrewed operatic fan. His comments are fair and interesting. But I would like you to try this recording which for me represents the most exciting version of this ingenious score. True, Zampieri is no Callas; she hits the notes from below (just as Callas used to hit them from above and at times not hit them at all) and only barely survives some of the coloratura of the part of Lady Macbeth. But what a voice! She is a strange maniacal Lolita, whose voice has a really sexy quality that one rarely encounters in opera. I do wonder if any listeners have heard her in other parts, since her recording repertoire is so small - but for me, pace Calas, she is the best Lady on record.

Bruson is a singer for whom I have special affection; he is not one who tries to dramatize the part. His strength is what to my ears sounds like a beautiful tone, a cast iron legato (what breath!), a dark tone that is entirely appropriate for this opera and an ability to convey emotion (especially fear) through the tiniest vocal nuances. Maybe Cappuccilli and especially Milnes have a more glorious voice in the competing versions, but for me this opera is one that really draws the best out of Bruson. This, along with his Rigoleeto and (hard to find) Boccanegra are maybe his greatest achievements on record.

Sinopoli divides opinions. Parts of the score are conducted ridiculously slowly, but I forgive him everything because he (more than Muti or Abbado) makes the witches music truly phrenetic, meaningful - a true Nordic phantasmagoria as imagined by the relatively young Giuseppe Verdi, a genius about to achieve his promise.

With all respect to our listeners from Santa Fe, please take this strong recommendation from London and try this version of Verdi's first Shakespearean masterpiece.

I am a major fan of Giuseppe Sinopoli, a genius whose abilities began with medicine and extended to conducting, with psychiatry and Egyptology along the way. He was controversial largley because English critics found him too individual and maverick for their tastes. But DG and Philips showed great respect for him, and by 1984 when this Macbeth was made, he had become de facto their major Veri/Puccini conductor. As usual, he has lots of ideas here, and even illustrious rivals like Abbado and Muti must take second place to Sinopoli's alert attention to phrasing and detail.

However, a conductor does not an opera make. The Macbeth on this recording, Renato Bruson, was famous for the role, and he sings at his best. I for one dislike the voice, and I don't find that Bruson really shows passionate commitment. He's musical, thoughtful, and dramatic, but my attention wasn't riveted by Macbeth's tortured downfall. Zampieri is also a problem as Lady Macbeth. She has the range and power for this immensely difficult role, but her voice is throaty, at times edgy, with a tendency to hit under the note and to hoot, thanks to a pronounced lack of vibrato. As to interpretation, no one comes close to Callas, but Zampieri doesn't come close to Rysanek or Verrett, either. Neil Shicoff does well as Macduff in his first major recording.

As for the Deutche Oper orchestra and chorus, you won't mistake either for Italians, and the witches in particular sound rather studied and lackluster---they don't tear into their cackling choruses with enough venom and grotesquerie. Philips early digital recording sounds fine on this latest reissue. In all, a disappointing result from a fascinating and much lamented conductor.

Finally, another reviewer (the Santa Fe listener, whose views I often read and always respect), says what I have been saying for years about Bruson: I cannot understand the idolatry he enjoyed from eminent critics like the late Alan Blyth; to me his voice is both bleaty - that vibrato! - and otherwise ordinary. I have no time for this set with the honourable exceptions of the always innovative Sinopoli and the magnificent Robert Lloyd as Banquo. Zampieri might be wild but it's usually in the wrong way; she is hooty, unsteady, often thin of tone and uncoordinated. Nobody can touch Callas in this role so it is to be newly lamented that she did not make a studio recording beyond the wonderful 1958 excerpts with Rescigno conducting. Otherwise, either the Abbado or the Muti set is a safe bet; Cappuccilli is magisterial in his breath control if not exactly electric in characterisation and Verrett pulls out the stops as the Lady; Milnes is eloquent and beautiful of voice and Cossotto brings Italianate bite to her singing. Others prefer the older set with Warren and Rysanek - and Bergonzi putting in a brief star turn as Macduff. Any of those three is far preferable to this one.

First the good points. Recording is crystal clear and the libretto is very good, particularly the article, "Verdi's first encounter with Shakespeare" by Petrobelli. It was thought provoking and I highly recommend it, if you really like Verdi's Macbeth. Robert Lloyd and Neil Shicoff handled their supporting roles admirably. Renato Bruson's interpretation is first class, but I prefer his "live" performance with Reccardo Muti on the Ponto label. There he was teamed with Renata Scotto, and Lloyd and Shicoff in the same roles as this recording, but he sounded more convincing. I found Sinopoli's varied tempi and pauses a little extreme, but otherwise quite good.
I was looking forward to a soprano in the role of Lady Macbeth, instead of a mezzo, and I will admit that Mara Zampieri certainly can handle the high notes. At times she was good, but never sounded menacing. She sang the first cavatina as sweetly as if it were Gilda's "caro nome". The high notes were powerful and true, and although they were thrilling to listen to, her overall performance did not define the character. Finally, the chorus did not inspire me at all, and in Macbeth they are just as important as the title role and Lady Macbeth. I guess my expectations were just too high. So far, I haven't found a recording of Macbeth that I don't want in my collection, but this one is not very high on my list. If you are looking for your first recording of this opera, there are many that would serve you better.

Macbeth is one of my favorite Verdi's operas. This recording conducted by the Late Maestro Giuseppe Sinopoli is a great reading of the score. Renato Bruson sings Macbeth with passion and credibility on the charater however, Mara Zampieri's voice is not on the top of my list for a Lady Macbeth. Her tone-color (voice) is just a little anoying. I have a DVD of hers singing Minnie "La Fanciulla del West" and her acting is probably what made her famous but her voice is just not my cup of tea. Overall this recording is great to have because of Renato Bruson and Giuseppe Sinopoli. If you want to hear a great Lady Macbeth listen to the one with Maria Callas / Shirley Verrett.

Lady Macbeth is a very bad character to begin with, but it doesn't help to be miscast in the role too. Mara Zampieri should never have been recorded in this opera. Very shrill and much to light a chest voice. Add Sinopoli's gear changes at odd times makes this a tough recording to recommend. The engineering is top-notch, but only serves to highlight the shortcomings of the vocal artists. Sorry, I really wanted to like this one.