Verdi: Macbeth in English on Chandos: Keenyside, Brindley Sherratt, Latonia Moore, Gwyn Hughes Jones. ENO Orchestra, Edward Gardner.
This is the 62nd and final opera-in-English that will be issued by Chandos in conjunction with the Peter Moores Foundation. It was founded 50 years ago to promote the arts, most commonly music. The charity is being wound up, though the family, whose generosity is enormous will continue to support the community in various ways. The foundation's sponsorship enabled the rescuing of the Goodall Ring Cycle and His Meistersingers, some early Joan Sutherland and late Janet Baker. Additionally they have worked their way through swathes of the repertoire and allowed a number of English speaking singers to provide some excellent recital discs including Diana Montague, John Tomlinson and Christine Brewer.
There are some superb offerings such as the Mackerras Magic Flute, Bluebeard's Castle and an exciting Aida. They have attracted excellent singers and conductors: though rarely the complete knock-out match of the very, very best singer to meaty role to the extent any recording has broken the barrier to become the preferred or equal choice with the very best in the work's native language. But there is a lot that gives a great deal of pleasure. I would have especially valued the excerpts of Rosenkavalier to have been from a complete recording and I have long hoped that they would rescue Berlioz Trojans in English with Janet Baker as both Cassandra and Dido.
So, what of this final offering of Macbeth?
As one of Verdi's earliest hits, despite the reworking, there remain elements here that look back to Rossini. I have always thought it a pity that Verdi wrote the witches and murders as chorus parts: the first, because three witches with Macbeth and Banquo would have made for a terrific intimate scene of drama instead of the rather public crowd rum-ti-tum stuff we get. As to the latter, well, it stretches it a bit that 25 stout murderers can't dispose of one man and a boy efficiently and it usually looks absurd on stage.
But the piece is nevertheless packed with marvellous music and the sleepwalking scene alone is worth the price of the ticket. Although based on Shakespeare the translation does not try to echo him significantly. The English is designed primarily for clear singing. In this the work of the chorus may as well be in Italian, but the soloists do well and especially with Keenlyside, it pays big dividends and he brings the character into life through uncertainty, confidence, brutality and disintegration. His voice has lost its sheen, but he still brings so much to us, a masterclass of a singing actor.
The Lady Macbeth of Latonia Moore is good. She has the weight of voice in the upper area of the role, though it is slightly lacking in laser beam penetration I like to hear in the part. She provides involvement and plenty of drama. She and Keenlyside really dig into each other in their scenes together.
Sherratt is in best voice of all, a pity there is not lots more of the part. The tenor aria for Macduff is workmanlike.
Possibly the main reason to buy the set is the thrusting, dramatic performance drawn out of the orchestra and singers by Edward Gardner. The piece sweeps along. It is a terrific concept of the work. As a bonus the final Macbeth aria, cut from the current standard text when Verdi revised the opera, is provided, I would have preferred it to be integrated.
I will listen again and again with pleasure. A fine end to a long journey.
Mike
