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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Probably the best available version, October 29, 2000
This review is from: Verdi - Macbeth / Sinopoli, Bruson, Zampieri, Deutsche Oper Berlin [VHS] (VHS Tape)
While not perfect, this is a very good production of Macbeth. Mara Zampieri is an almost perfect Lady Macbeth, although her overdone facial expressions, while understandable in a theatre setting can be somewhat offputting in closeup. Her singing, however, meets the demands of the role quite well. Verdi wanted a singing actress who could express villainy in her voice rather than just a beautiful voice, and Zampieri fills this role well. Renato Bruson is also a very believable Macbeth. James Morris as Banquo is somewhat wooden, but the main, really the only major, drawback is Sinopoli. His conducting is quite good, but he hogs too much of the screen. The camera focusses on him not only in the overture and preludes to the various acts, but also at times when the chorus is singing on stage. While obviously the conductor is important in every opera, it is the action on stage that one wants to see, not the conductor, especially a hyperactive one.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Screw thy courage to the sticking place!, December 29, 2001
This production from Berlin in 1987 finds conductor Sinopoli and team in good form. Sinopoli's conducting is very rhythmic and exciting overall, but tends to be somewhat rushed in places. The orchestra and chorus do a good job and one can hardly fault the ensemble work of all the performers involved. The production is traditional (and also minimalist). Yes, true emotion is seldom touched on here, but I'd rather have this type of melodramatic approach than the kind of contrived production 'concept' to which one is so often subjected. The costumes are realistic to the period, but it is a very static production: note that as the aria begins the character usually takes centre stage! That being said, I have to mention that there is something very effective about dressing Macbeth and Lady M almost entirely in red: to indicate the innocent blood they will/have shed? Renato Bruson as Macbeth sings the role very well, and one wonders if anyone can surpass this achievement. However, do not expect a dramatically compelling interpretation. Mara Zampieri has a sinister enough voice for Lady M. She has a magnificent technique: good coloratura and an exceptional trill. For me her interpretation does not match Callas's Lady M, as Zampieri lacks two things: she is often out of tune on acuti and her interpretation is not very subtle. And nit-picking: she omits the top D-flat in the sleep-walking scene. Nonetheless, we can be grateful for her presence in the cast. The supporting cast, which includes James Morris and Denis O'Neill, sing well, and I cannot think of better 'comprimarias' than those two. "Macbeth", for me is not a very easy work, like "Trovatore", "Otello" or even "Don Carlos", to understand and love. But with "Macbeth" (specifically in Lady M's music) Verdi holds up a beacon of things to come from his gifted pen.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Screw thy courage to the sticking place!, December 30, 2001
This production from Berlin in 1987 finds conductor Sinopoli and team in good form. Sinopoli's conducting is very rhythmic and exciting overall, but tends to be somewhat rushed in places. The orchestra and chorus do a good job and one can hardly fault the ensemble work of all the performers involved. The production is traditional (and also minimalist). Yes, true emotion is seldom touched on here, but I'd rather have this type of melodramatic approach than the kind of contrived production 'concept' to which one is so often subjected. The costumes are realistic to the period, but it is a very static production: note that as the aria begins the character usually takes centre stage! That being said, I have to mention that there is something very effective about dressing Macbeth and Lady M almost entirely in red: to indicate the innocent blood they will/have shed? Renato Bruson as Macbeth sings the role very well, and one wonders if anyone can surpass this achievement. However, do not expect a dramatically compelling interpretation. Mara Zampieri has a sinister enough voice for Lady M. She has a magnificent technique: good coloratura and an exceptional trill. For me her interpretation does not match Callas's Lady M, as Zampieri lacks two things: she is often out of tune on acuti and her interpretation is not very subtle. And nit-picking: she omits the top D-flat in the sleep-walking scene. Nonetheless, we can be grateful for her presence in the cast. The supporting cast, which includes James Morris and Denis O'Neill, sing well, and I cannot think of better 'comprimarias' than those two. "Macbeth", for me is not a very easy work, like "Trovatore", "Otello" or even "Don Carlos", to understand and love. But with "Macbeth" (specifically in Lady M's music) Verdi holds up a beacon of things to come from his gifted pen.
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