Act IV, Scene 1 Verdi's MacBeth / Metropolitan Opera
Photo Louis Melancon
Posted on 10/02/2026 8:07:51 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
The Metropolitan Opera opened its new season with Verdi’s Macbeth — not the most obvious choice for a gala evening, except that it stars Lise Davidsen, currently the company’s hottest ticket.
Having premiered Macbeth in Florence in 1847 while in his thirties, Verdi revised the opera extensively for an 1865 Paris production. Writing to his Parisian publisher, he insisted that it has but three main roles: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the chorus of witches. The latter are tricky, however, for while their music may have sounded macabre in Verdi’s day, it can sound trite and cartoonish in ours. Happily, director Louisa Proske — in her Met debut — gave them their due — and then some. “The witches dominate the drama,” Verdi said, and here they actually did. Proske has them onstage for much of the action, watching from the sidelines as their malevolent plan unfolds. The women of the Met Chorus sang brilliantly, and their shrieks and cackles, though not in Verdi’s score, were hair-raisingly effective.
Quinn Kelsey was gripping as Macbeth. One of the great Verdi baritones of our day, Kelsey not only has a handsomely resonant tone and the ability to pour out long lines of liquid legato, he is also keenly sensitive to small details — leaning on little melodic aches and stabs, for instance — that deepen his characterisations. He projected Macbeth’s journey from ambitious pride to rueful desperation in a single, beautifully drawn dramatic arc.
Verdi was adamant that he did not want a pretty-sounding Lady Macbeth; he wanted her hollow-toned and for her to declaim more than sing — not that any leading soprano is actually going to take that route. Davidsen tried, at times, to be steely, and when going full throttle her voice could be thrilling. When singing softly, and especially in her lower register, though, she sounded strangely underpowered. And this matched her conception of Lady Macbeth in general, which came across as more sad and imperious than poisonous. Anna Netrebko, who sang the role at the Met in 2014, may have exaggerated the conniving and malevolence, but at least she held up her side of Verdi’s triangular dramatic design.
And yet, despite this slight imbalance, the Met’s new production is a considerable success. Ryan Speedo Green made an eloquent Banquo, Freddie De Tommaso sang Macduff with great gusto, and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin elicited precise, richly textured and aptly dark playing from the Met Orchestra.
New York opera aficionados already know Proske’s imaginative work from Heartbeat Opera, a small, scrappy company that she co-founded in 2014. Here, on the big stage, she took a fairly traditional approach, and one that worked because its dramatic focus remained sharp from beginning to end. She was aided by Montana Levi Blanco, whose costumes were recognisably Shakespearean, and by Jon Bausor’s sets (realised on a rotating turntable) which suggested an atmosphere of deteriorating solidity (indeed, we view the action through what seems like a giant hole blown through a wall of reinforced concrete). The choreography by Jorrell Lawyer-Jefferson, also deserves mention, as its frantic energy helped to amp up the drama, while Ran Arthur Braun’s action direction had a stylised, spirited elegance that might have made Bruce Lee smile.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Act IV, Scene 1 Verdi's MacBeth / Metropolitan Opera
Photo Louis Melancon
Last week PBS13 in NY showed the Tristan und Isolde that debuted back in March of this year. Another production that received raves.
Did I watch the entire opera....no. But I did watch the last act so could hear Liebestod, which was amazing.
Must you make light of their craft?
Liebsestod is amazing.
Seeing the words “Met Opera” makes me think of beautiful Helen Hagnes-Mintiks, gone now 46 years.
I was recently at a birthday party of a 90 year-old, and one of the party games was “tell us something about yourselves that your friends and family would find surprising.” I responded, “Classical Music and Opera.” Then someone asked about preference in more modern music, I responded, “The Who — They wrote rock operas that are now classics.”
I forgot to add, Lise Davidsen’s Isolde was epic so despite what this reviewer says I can’t imagine her Lady MacBeth won’t be thrilling.
My wife saw her in Tristan, but I’ve yet to see her live. I so look forward to it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.