Royal Opera House, London
Verdi's best was yet to come when he wrote Macbeth, and even a great performance will not be on a dramatic par with a cracking version of Shakespeare's play. And the Royal Opera's second revival of Phyllida Lloyd's production is not quite a great performance. It is, however, an impressive company showcase, full of moments when chorus and orchestra are at full throttle. Whipped up by Antonio Pappano's baton, they sound truly thrilling.
It is not bad as drama, either. Credit should perhaps go chiefly to Pappano, who keeps the pace pushing forward, but a large amount is due also to Simon Keenlyside, singing the title role in the UK for the first time. Yes, there are other baritones with more velvet in their sound, but Keenlyside captures the guilty king's uneasy swagger, lit up in the relentless chiaroscuro of Lloyd's staging. He brings innate dramatic conviction to his vocal performance as much as to his acting; his aria before the assault of Birnam Wood is tremendous.
Keenlyside will doubtless come over well on the live cinema relay next month, but the close-ups may be less kind to his Lady, Liudmyla Monastyrska. Her fierce, full-bodied soprano has an old-school vocal glamour almost as shiny as her gold lame gown, though at times she veers sharp. For some reason, she refuses to kiss Keenlyside properly, and all their embraces are fudged. There is sterling support from Raymond Aceto as Banquo and from Dimitri Pittas, whose incisive tenor makes Macduff a worthy adversary.
Lloyd's production, revived by Harry Fehr, feels small-scale, despite the monolithic set and a flock of red-turbanned witches. The focus never leaves the two main characters, which is as it should be.