Verdi's Macbeth at the Sferisterio Opera Festival
YOUR RATING
Photos
Storyline
Featured review
This is the tenth opera by Giuseppe Verdi based on Shakespeare's play.
Verdi's Macbeth at the Sferisterio Opera Festival (2007)
Filmed at the Sferisterio Opera Festival, Macerata, Italy, 2-5 August 2007.
A few of the characters: Macbeth - Giuseppe Altomare Banco - Pavel Kudinov Lady Macbeth - Olha Zhuravel Macduff - Rubens Pellizzari Malcolm - Marco Dall'Amico Il medico - Luca Dall'Amico
Nothing beats being at the Sferisterio Opera Festival in person. However, this comes close as we get front row seats and still the best music location. The stage is fairly minimalist, and the costumes (mostly plastic) are more impressionistic than of the period.
I have to admit knowing little Italian, I had to use the English subtitles to keep up. The subtitles seem to have problems keeping up with this energetic presentation. I went through it a second time with Italian subtitles to get a feel for what they are saying.
Some Macbeths have different witches from naked schoolgirls to nurses to hags, etc. This Macbeth has an operatic chorus for the witchy parts.
This is a well-executed opera and for those that like opera this presentation can hold its own. There is some speaking without singing but you can say goodbye to any iambic pentameter.
This opera is still head and shoulders above attempts to bring Macbeth into modern times. Many of the scenes get that opera exaggeration so the "Dagger Before Me" scene is much more dramatic. The cauldron scene makes the mixture tastier than Martha Stewart's and you feel like you need to get up and dance with the witchy chorus. The sleepwalking scene is well done but there is no "Out damned spot" to translate. Rats!
When you immerse yourself in the opera you definitely know it is Verdi and has that Verdi feel.
Naxos 2.110258 (DVD)
A few of the characters: Macbeth - Giuseppe Altomare Banco - Pavel Kudinov Lady Macbeth - Olha Zhuravel Macduff - Rubens Pellizzari Malcolm - Marco Dall'Amico Il medico - Luca Dall'Amico
Nothing beats being at the Sferisterio Opera Festival in person. However, this comes close as we get front row seats and still the best music location. The stage is fairly minimalist, and the costumes (mostly plastic) are more impressionistic than of the period.
I have to admit knowing little Italian, I had to use the English subtitles to keep up. The subtitles seem to have problems keeping up with this energetic presentation. I went through it a second time with Italian subtitles to get a feel for what they are saying.
Some Macbeths have different witches from naked schoolgirls to nurses to hags, etc. This Macbeth has an operatic chorus for the witchy parts.
This is a well-executed opera and for those that like opera this presentation can hold its own. There is some speaking without singing but you can say goodbye to any iambic pentameter.
This opera is still head and shoulders above attempts to bring Macbeth into modern times. Many of the scenes get that opera exaggeration so the "Dagger Before Me" scene is much more dramatic. The cauldron scene makes the mixture tastier than Martha Stewart's and you feel like you need to get up and dance with the witchy chorus. The sleepwalking scene is well done but there is no "Out damned spot" to translate. Rats!
When you immerse yourself in the opera you definitely know it is Verdi and has that Verdi feel.
Naxos 2.110258 (DVD)
helpful•10
- Bernie4444
- Jan 3, 2024
Details
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Top Gap
What is the English language plot outline for Verdi's Macbeth at the Sferisterio Opera Festival (2007)?
Answer