Verdi Macbeth
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Giuseppe Verdi
Genre:
Opera
Label: EMI
Magazine Review Date: 5/1989
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 161
Mastering:
ADD
Catalogue Number: 747954-8
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Macbeth |
Giuseppe Verdi, Composer
Ambrosian Opera Chorus Carlo del Bosco, Doctor, Bass Fiorenza Cossotto, Lady Macbeth, Soprano Giuliano Bernardi, Malcolm, Tenor Giuseppe Verdi, Composer John Noble, Assassin, Bass José Carreras, Macduff, Tenor Leslie Fyson, Servant, Bass Maria Borgato, Lady-in-Waiting, Mezzo soprano Neilson Taylor, Herald, Bass New Philharmonia Orchestra Riccardo Muti, Conductor, Bass Ruggero Raimondi, Banquo, Bass Sherrill Milnes, Macbeth, Baritone |
Author:
The best Macbeth, I think. It first appeared within a month or so of the Abbado/DG set and that was the one which tended to win critical favour, though to my mind the comparisons yielded the wrong final result. The Sinopoli/Philips version provoked much gnashing of teeth and waving of banners, and though frequently effective as a performance (especially the slow, lamenting tempo for the finale of Act 2) it is too controversial to be a firm recommendation. There have been other recordings since, under Chailly (Decca) and Gardelli (Hungaroton/Conifer), but the earlier pair (Abbado and Muti) remain central to any discussion.
Briefly, I find Muti rhythmically sharper, more alert to the dramatic quality of the scoring; Milnes a much more vivid, human and imaginative Macbeth than Cappuccilli, Cossotto vocally superior to Verrett (firmer and stronger) and equally good in her characterization. It is true that Abbado's second line (Domingo as Macduff, Ghiaurov as Banquo) has distinction beyond the considerable merit of Carreras and Raimondi. But Muti has the better chorus, important in this opera, and the more atmospheric recorded sound. The use of the three discs is also more satisfactory, with Act 1 on the first and Acts 2 and 3 on the second (where both Abbado and Sinopoli have some of Act 3 on the third disc), and, on the last, the final Act followed by a supplement containing three solos written for the premiere of 1847 but dropped from the 1865 score, the version followed here.'
Briefly, I find Muti rhythmically sharper, more alert to the dramatic quality of the scoring; Milnes a much more vivid, human and imaginative Macbeth than Cappuccilli, Cossotto vocally superior to Verrett (firmer and stronger) and equally good in her characterization. It is true that Abbado's second line (Domingo as Macduff, Ghiaurov as Banquo) has distinction beyond the considerable merit of Carreras and Raimondi. But Muti has the better chorus, important in this opera, and the more atmospheric recorded sound. The use of the three discs is also more satisfactory, with Act 1 on the first and Acts 2 and 3 on the second (where both Abbado and Sinopoli have some of Act 3 on the third disc), and, on the last, the final Act followed by a supplement containing three solos written for the premiere of 1847 but dropped from the 1865 score, the version followed here.'
Verdi Macbeth
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