Verdi: Macbeth (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series)
by James Levine (Conductor)
List Price:
Our Price: $16.17
You Save: $21.81 (57%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $15.99 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dimitri Pittas, John Relyea, Maria Guleghina, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Zeljko LucicDirector: James Levine (Conductor)
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 157 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Emi Classics
Summary of Verdi: Macbeth (The Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series)
Verdi?s admiration for Shakespeare led to such masterpieces as Othello and Falstaff, and if the earlier Macbeth isn?t on their exalted level it?s still a powerfully dramatic opera that hews closely to the original?s story line. The MET?s production retains the dark aura of the opera while updating it to a vaguely post-modern context. So the witches are bag ladies in various stages of decrepitude, with children in tow. The Banquet Scene features lowered chandeliers, a plethora of chairs, and a slew of extras dressed in tuxedos and party gowns. Macbeth sports a leather coat, the soldiers are in drab brown uniforms and seem to have fingers on their triggers even when they?re supposed to be in non-threatening situations. Director Adrian Noble also has Lady Macbeth do an inordinate amount of writhing around and singing from a lying-down position, adding to the feeling that a less interventionist directorial hand might have generated more impact. Mark Thompson designed the sets and costumes, making a leafless forest an integral background to both outdoor and indoor scenes. Movable pillars contract or expand the spaces in which the action takes place. Video director Gary Halvorson keeps his cameras moving with plenty of close-ups and odd angles, which accentuate the weirdness of the situations and the entrapment of the main characters in their greed and murderous ambition.The Macbeth couple offer some of the juiciest leading roles in all of opera. Lady Macbeth is well done by Maria Guleghina, whose big voice and stage presence are pluses here. If her intonation is sometimes dubious and her high notes occasionally curdle she does project the role well, especially when cajoling her indecisive husband to murder. He?s sung by Zeljko Lucic, whose sturdy baritone is sufficient to inhabit an acting and singing performance of considerable power. Banquo is sung beautifully by bass John Relyea, and Macduff is well done by tenor Dimtri Pittas. But the MET chorus and orchestra, under the fiery baton of James Levine, are the real heroes of the performance, their contributions enhanced by lively sound. --Dan Davis
Macbeth is an all-regions disc in 16:9 ratio. Sound options include PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 Surround. Extras include interview material with MET director Peter Gelb, conductor James Levine, and the principal singers and stage director Adrian Noble. Sung in Italian, subtitles include English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
Rossini: Armida (The Metropolitan Opera Live 2010)Release date: 2011-02-15; Published: 2011-03-04; DVD
Best price: $25.35
Price in other shops:
Donizetti: Don PasqualeRelease date: 2011-05-31; DVD
Best price: $15.56
Price in other shops:
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor / Netrebko, Beczala, Kwiecien, Metropolitan OperaRelease date: 2009-11-10; DVD
Best price: $22.20
Price in other shops:
Gaetano Donizetti (La Fille du regiment / Dessay, Florez, Palmer, Corbelli, French, Campanella, Pelly) (Royal Opera House)Release date: 2008-04-15; DVD
Best price: $14.51
Price in other shops:
Massenet: Thais- The Metropolitan OperaUni; Release date: 2010-01-26; DVD
Best price: $16.83
Price in other shops:
Donizetti: Anna BolenaRelease date: 2011-11-01; Published: 2011-11-18; DVD
Best price: $22.46
Price in other shops:
![Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin / Fleming, Vargas, Hvorostovsky, Gergiev, Carsen [Metropolitan Opera 2007] Image](/images/Tchaikovsky-Eugene-Onegin-Fleming-Vargas-Hvorostovsky-Gergiev-Carsen-Metropolitan-Opera-2007-B000YCLRBA-X.jpg){kind=small}
Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin / Fleming, Vargas, Hvorostovsky, Gergiev, Carsen [Metropolitan Opera 2007]Uni; Release date: 2007-12-18; DVD
Best price: $13.46
Price in other shops:
Gounod: FaustRelease date: 2010-10-05; DVD
Best price: $20.95
Price in other shops:
Puccini: Madama ButterflyRelease date: 2011-01-25; DVD
Best price: $17.15
Price in other shops:
Bizet: Carmen (The Metropolitan Opera LIVE in HD)The Metropolitan Opera; Release date: 2010-09-21; DVD
Best price: $26.64
Price in other shops: