If there’s a weak link in the company, it’s Alexandrina Pendatchanska as Lady Macbeth (sharing the role with Liudmyla Monastyrska after superstar soprano Sondra Radvanovsky withdrew due to personal reasons). They sing, dance and act, playing everything from the witches (a congregation of church ladies in this production) to soldiers. His emotionally charged performance of “Ah! la paterna mano” in the fourth act rightly earned the most sustained ovation on opening night.Īlso deserving of praise is the indefatigable COC chorus, under the direction of conductor Speranza Scappucci.
That the bloody tragedy unfolds in this sacred locale suggests McVicar wants to highlight the corruption - even the perversion - of a society bereft of warmth and consumed with calculated greed.Īs the titular character, American baritone Quinn Kelsey possesses a resounding voice, plowing through Macbeth’s volatile temperaments with aplomb.Įqually compelling is Canadian tenor Matthew Cairns as Macbeth’s foil, Macduff. Likewise, John Macfarlane’s set places the action in a decaying Scottish church. David Finn’s dimly lit and shadow-filled lighting design conjures an appropriate setting where “fair is foul, foul is fair,” emphasizing the tale’s focus on illusion and the supernatural. The production’s characteristic darkness is presented not just visually but also metaphorically. McVicar latches on to the inherent darkness of Verdi’s opera, inspired by Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name about a Scottish king driven by ambition but who crumbles at the hands of his paranoia. In a season filled with revivals of existing productions, this COC premiere - a new co-production with Chicago’s Lyric Opera - is arguably the most significant opera of the year. First up: a chillingly terrifying new staging of Verdi’s “Macbeth,” directed with intense precision by Scottish director David McVicar.
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