Verdi: Macbeth

Soffocato
The Moscow-born stage director Dmitri Tcherniakov, still in his 30s at the time of this 2009 Paris Opera production, had his hands around something interesting here, and it isn't so much that it slips through his fingers as that he squeezes too hard. When I had taken in only the first act, I felt I was seeing a truly great MACBETH, and the five-star review was beginning to come together in my head. But my final verdict was that Tcherniakov had failed to heed the directing equivalent of that old piece of advice given to women about looking themselves in the mirror and removing one accessory before leaving the house. This is a very mannered piece of work, and a little of it goes a long way. The initial promise ultimately curdles, and I cannot say I expect to give this a second viewing anytime soon, although, as will become apparent below, there are decided strengths.

Verdi's opera has been transplanted to what I believe is the mid-20th century. Half of the scenes take place...

Scottish Beauty
Dmitri Tcherniakov (now there's a name to strike fear into the heart of every lover of traditional opera stagings) comes up with an interesting concept for this 2009 production for the Paris Opera. He sees the Scottish play in terms of a kind of American Beauty satire of modern life, with GoogleEarth-style 3-D overhead projections zooming into the map of a small surburban town, where we are treated to a peak through the windows into the drawing room of one particular moderately wealthy middle-class family. There erupts a power battle of social climbing, domestic disputes, vanity and a mid-life identity crisis that culminates in moral, social and personal breakdown.

That's all very well, but Macbeth is Macbeth and American Beauty is American Beauty, and I imagine that some people would rather that the two remain entirely separate entities - except Verdi's Macbeth was never really Shakespeare in the first place. Verdi does revenge and revolution well, and he also does...

Bold, powerful and emotional
Yes, Dmitri Tcherniakov is a bad boy, an enfant terrible, an ultra regie of the opera world. Supposedly. This was my first experience with the directorial "monster." This 2009 Paris Macbeth was, according to veteran bass Ferrucio Furlanetto, in the May 2013 Opera News, "the worst experience I have had in this business." The Banquo in this performance said he "detested" the production, felt he prostituted himself doing it and wouldn't ever work with Tcherniakov again.

OK, can't wait to see this one. One day it was on my library shelf, I borrowed it, watched it twice and simply, was bowled over. And I'm usually not too fond of "Eurotrash" or whatever you want to call controversial, novel opera interpretations. Well, when you have such compelling acting and singing, even from the outstanding Paris Opera Chorus, combined with electrifying conducting from Teodor Currentzis - whether inspired by Verdi, Tcherniakov or whatever - it goes a long way to making this performance in my...

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