Verdi - Macbeth - DVD

This hard-edged postmodern production of Giuseppe Verdi's haunting masterpiece brings the story of Shakespeare's bloody tragedy to vivid life, characterized by spine-tingling atmospherics and a triumphant debut by American baritone Thomas Hampson in the title role. This Zurich Opera House production also features a mesmerizing turn by Paoletta Marrocu as the beautiful, power-hungry Lady Macbeth, while striking sets and costumes further enhance the duality of the main character whose rise and fall mirror the darkest impulses of man. Replete with supernatural mystery, sexual tension, and violent power plays, this timeless story remains gripping and chilling for today's audiences and boasts some of the most astonishing music of Verdi's legendary body of work. Conducted by Franz Welser-Most.
Musically, this is an exemplary Macbeth. Visually, it is a matter of personal taste, but director David Pountney, who has a flair for unconventional staging (see, for example, his Rusalka) gives it a strong, concentrated visual impact with overtones that send the mind spinning in many directions. The chorus of witches, which is seen right at the beginning and later at intervals, has a wild variety of costumes and makeup and might be mistaken for the inhabitants of an old-fashioned insane asylum. The power of superstition (or perhaps of the supernatural) is one of this opera's primary subtexts, and it's presented with eerie impact, including a mummified corpse that refuses to lie still. Costumes are generally but not exclusively modern.

Thomas Hampson and Paoletta Marrocu score equally well as singers and actors, and neither tries to prettify the character. They are ably supported, most notably by Roberto Scanduzzi (who manages to look spooky as Banquo's ghost with a jacket and necktie) and Luis Lima, a fire-breathing Macduff. Franz Welser-Most conducts with a keen ear for dramatic tension. --Joe McLellan
Special Features
None.

Actors: Thomas Hampson, Paoletta Marrocu, Liuba Chuchrova
Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
DVD Release Date: November 26, 2002
Run Time: 139 minutes