Fate is a giant ocean. No matter how ambitious, at the best, for a brief moment there is a gasp of fresh air and a glimpse of the stars before being enveloped again. This production begins with the foreshadowing sound of a stormy sea.
There is danger in ambition. It is like a storm that shrouds and overwhelms everything but itself. For what is gained there is equal sacrifice.
Shakespeare’s character, brave and loyal Macbeth is on the coast of Scottland while his wife plans a path to the throne.
Lady Macbeth would like to see her husband crowned at any cost, but can her conscience live with the guilt that comes with that cost? Apparitions and ‘mad’ scenes suggest otherwise (poor Lady Macbeth, just trying to support her husband any way she can). In the hands of Verdi the madness is gorgeous.
The composition is incredible and Biotto’s libretto is tight, I believe he reduced the original Shakespeare to 1/7 words creating a swift momentum that carried me through the plot.
It’s hard to fault Lady Macbeth for her ambition for her husband, that chorus of witches could drive anybody to reach for the stars.
*Macbeth has one of those tacked on endings with a message where they sing ‘down to tyrants,’ which would have fired up Verdi’s Italy at the time.
For dinner, we reach for the stars ourselves with some decadent drinks with sea food pasta.
So what is Macbeth all about? It begins with witches prophesying that Macbeth will become King of Scotland. They also prophesy that his friends Banquo’s children will rule. When the current king Duncan visits Lady Macbeth tells her husband that they should kill the king, which he does. To secure the throne the Macbeths send assassins to kill Banquo and his son, but the son escapes. Later that night Macbeth has a vision of Banquo and goes a little mad. The Macbeths also decide to kill Macduff and his family. Macduff survives and joins Malcolm and the British troops to take Scottland. Lady Macbeth has her famous mad scene provoked by guilt of what they have done. Macbeth waits for the troops to invade.
Notes on the production
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Composer…………………..…. Giuseppe Verdi
Macbeth………………………… Zeljko Lucic
Lady Macbeth……………….. Anna Netrebko
Banquo……………………….….. Ildar Abdrazakov
Duncan……………………….….. Raymond Renault
Malcom…………………….……. Giuseppe Filianoti
Macduff…………………………. Matthew Polenzani
Conductor………………………. Marco Armiliato
Metropolitan Opera
10/8/19