由克劳迪奥.阿巴多指挥意大利拉.斯卡拉歌剧院管弦乐团与合唱团演奏灌录的《威尔第：麦克白》，2009年的《企鹅古典唱片指南》中推荐为三星。朱塞佩.威尔第（Giuseppe Verdi，1813-1901）出生于帕尔马附近的勒朗科勒（Le Roncole），逝世于米兰，意大利歌剧作曲家。威尔第从1824年开始学习音乐，他为吉奥阿基诺.罗西尼的歌剧《塞维利亚的理发师》（Il Barbiere di Siviglia）写了序曲。然后他去米兰，但那里的音乐学院拒绝接受他，他并不灰心，继续自学。威尔第的处女作是《奥贝尔托》（Oberto），此后他又写了《一日国王》（Un Giorno di Regno），这是他第一部喜剧，但不成功。1842年他创作了他的第一部不朽之作《拿布果》，在米兰首演，其唱女中音的主角演员后来成了他的第二任夫人。其后威尔第的佳作屡出不叠。1872年他的另一部巨著《阿依达》（Aida）问世。对于这部歌剧的创作目的，坊间有不少传言。实际上这歌剧并不是为开罗总督歌剧院的开幕式，也不是为苏伊士运河开航而作的。威尔第晚年主要修改他早年的作品。威尔第支持意大利当时的独立运动，他的一些作品中有暗示这个运动的情节。直到今天还有人建议将他为《那布果》所作的合唱《飞吧，思想，乘着金色的翅膀》（Va' pensiero, sull'ali dorate）作为意大利的国歌。《麦克白》是威尔第著名的歌剧创作。阿巴多的指挥条理清晰，节拍准确，有着异常敏锐的听觉和高度准确的音乐记忆力，绝大多数情况下他都是背诵指挥的。他能够非常自如、含蓄而又不着痕迹地把握住乐曲速度、力度、和声和织体的变化，处理好细节的表现和整体平衡的关系。在有机地掌握作品的风格和揭示乐曲的内涵的同时，他的指挥又呈现了意大利音乐家特有的热情、敏感、充满歌唱性的特点。阿巴多对意大利正歌剧的诠释素有专精，在这款《威尔第：麦克白》的录音中，这一点体现得尤其明显。

Synopsis:

After public and critical acclaim for his Eugene Onegin, Macbeth is the latest production from Russian stage director Dmitri Tcherniakov, recorded at the Paris Opera. Coproduced with Siberia s Novosibirsk Opera, this new Macbeth uses cutting-edge multimedia technology to give the viewer a fresh perspective on the work. Google Earth satellite images plunge us into the heart of the action: a gloomy square surrounded by soulless buildings and the interior of an aristocratic residence. Witches are no more a part of Tcherniakov s Macbeth than the duel was of his Onegin, but once again the atmosphere is one of brooding claustrophobia. Tcherniakov has chosen a great cast, beginning with the marvellous Lithuanian soprano Violeta Urmana as Lady Macbeth. Greek baritone Dimitris Tiliakos is a powerful presence as Macbeth, while the Italians Ferruccio Furlanetto and Stefano Secco are sumptuous as, respectively, Banquo and Macduff. In this, his second production at the Paris Opera, Teodor Currentzis, music director of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, conducts with verve and theatricality. [Amazon UK]

Well, evidently that's for the individual to decide, but although it's not without its problems, this production of Macbeth is spectacularly staged and sung, with real feeling for the piece and the underlying psychology that it exposes. Principally, there are only two real sets, one for the drawing room drama, the other for the people of the revolution (the people and the three witches converted into a kind of neighbourhood watch) - which perfectly captures the Verdian division of the essence of the drama. The sets are simple, but imaginatively employed, with dark clouds projected over the street scenes, the 3-D graphics superb for all the scene-setting that is required, and the drama within them is brilliantly and effectively staged. Banco's death, for example, avoids all the usual on-stage dramatic clichés, and he is found left slumped on the ground as a whirlwind of people disperse. [custom review]

Cast and Crew:

Macbeth: Dimitris Tiliakos
Banco: Ferruccio Furlanetto
Lady Macbeth: Violeta Urmana
Dama di Lady Macbeth: Letitia Singleton
Macduff, nobile scozzese: Stefano Secco
Malcolm, figlio di Duncano: Alfredo Nigro
Medico/Domestico di Macbeth: Yuri Kissin

Music: Giuseppe Verdi   Wikipedia
Libretto: Francesco Maria Piave and Andrea Maffei
Orchestre et Choeurs de l Opéra national de Paris
Conductor: Teodor Currentzis
Stage Director: Dmitri Tcherniakov
Video Director: Andy Sommer

Recorded live at the Opéra Bastille, Paris, 04/2009.


Extras:

1. From Novosibirsk to Paris (32:10), in Russian with subtitles, 1080i
2. Trailer (3:27), 480i