A Macbeth Victory to Open Rome's Teatro dell'Opera 2011-12 Season

German director Peter Stein's new ghost and knight-filled Verdi's Macbeth triumphed as the 2011/12 season opener at Rome's Teatro dell'Opera last night. It's the same production that Stein premiered in August at the Salzburger Festspiele to mixed reviews (photo above). Nevermind - Rome loved it.

"Un grande Macbeth ovazione" was part of the Rome-based daily La Repubblica's headline. Ten minutes of applause, mostly for Riccardo Muti and Russian soprano Tatiana Serjan as Lady Macbeth. Serjan also elicited mid-scene applause during her final aria. Rome's audiences made another statement with mid-scene applause after the chorus' "Patria oppressa" at the beginning of the fourth act. Muti and Serjan had also collaborated with Stein during the August Salzburg edition.

All the VIPs were in the house last night, including the Rome mayor (Gianni Alemanno), the president of the republic (Giorgio Napolitano), and the new culture minister (Lorenzo Ornaghi).

An intrepid youtuber uploaded a clip of Serjan singing Lady Macbeth's final aria.

Comments

[f.]

solite -conclamate- difficoltà in acuto, note calanti, dizione pessima. il timbro della serjan è molto bello...ma non basta. mi chiedo perchè non sia stata scritturata la divina dolora zajick.

stendiamo poi un velo pietoso sul banco di riccardo zanellato e sui tenori poli e corianò. immaturo il macbeth di dario solari.

bellissima direzione, bella regia.

[Bill Philin Ploplis]

Brava, brava! Just surprised so much of the scene was sung at the footlights, seemingly like an old-fashioned aria. Maybe close-up it looked more introverted. Not too much sleep-walking going on. Ah, well, at least she sang the notes mostly in tune and had some expressive dynamics going on and she did sing the "D" at the end--which so many just opt out of. Thanks for the video!!!!

[Willy]

sigh... you are making me homesick..... but thanks for the update

[Frank]

http://video.sky.it/news/spettacolo/muti_trionfa_allopera_di_roma/v103953.vid

[sumiet]

Zajic's italian is TERRIBLE and she is vulgar singer. Serjan's italian might not be perfect, but she sings the best D flat pianissimo as written, at the end of one of the most tasking roles written by Verdi. No one else today can do that

[f.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R94QMiwPsBc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz9yeI3F8qE

[Steve]

What a glorious voice, Tatiana! Brava in every way! You were the great star of the performance.
Stein's direction did not impress me at all. I found it rather childish and boring. The costumes did not support the roles accordingly; too many different colours and Tatiana's dress did not flatter her at all.

Muti was just adequate, nothing special, really.

[Leo]

Ragazzi come fate per fare dei complimenti al Mestro Muti e criticare i cantanti? Come di solito è stato lui personalmente a scegliere il cast. Allora mettetevi d'accordo. O il Maestro non è così bravo, o i cantanti non cantano così male.

[Noncy Cowans]

Dear F. and Leo, I understood what you wrote here in Italian. Thank God!
But if you keep to write just in Italian , I guess some people (inc. me) will have some problems--misunderstanding--, because some of us don't understand or speak perfect Italian.
Would you mind to write it in English please!! Grazie mille! Noncy

[f.]

ok, let's say the truth....
the ballet and the end of act the first was not bad at all, but the musical direction was very boring, the worst thing i've listened by muti. the tempi were extremely slow...
stein is very traditional, nothing special, but not bad. the sets...i've not seen any set on stage. costumes were nice, tradionals too.
the singers were just a shame. serjan, horrible vibrato and voice cut into two different registers-low 'di petto' and high with some difficulties 'in acuto'- was the best because the others were just disgusting.
sometimes i can't not say the truth, even if i shouldn't...

[Frank]

@ F.
It is always preferable to speak the truth, dear.
Thank you very much finally as well as Nancy for her suggestion you write in English!

[Ian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKXlhpeb6wI&feature=related

[Bill Philin Ploplis]

@Ian--Hahaha!

[Noncy Cowans]

Dear F. Yesterday I wrote you a thanks and the rep.for your opinion, but when I moved my --old-girl--(my 17year old apple coloured computer! It's still cute!) it went down!! all are gone!
But I smacked her again and again , and it started to work now!
But I lost my energie because I fought with her almost one day!
So, I wrire you tomorrow. I hope you don't mind! Noncy

[Ian]

Thanks, Bill.

Enjoy:

http://www.dagospia.com/mediagallery/dago_fotogallery-48365/361617.htm

[Noncy Cowans]

Dear OC , can I still send a comment here for F.?

[Noncy Cowans]

Dear F., Finally I am writing for you!

First of all , thank you for your sweetness to write your comment in English!

About the Macbeth I can't judge that because I had chance to listen and see it neither in Salzburg (I was in Italy)nor in Roma(I was in Vienna).

But you should be very patient with Muti and got to trust him!
Listen to him more and more very carefully.
Don't give up now!

Because I feel he has changed !

The other day I saw him in the program in the --Arte--.
It was Nabucco in Roma.
He turned around and conducted the audience, that one!
I noticed at once, he is not commanding any more.
He was with the audience without thinking to control them.
Another words, he was himself and Music itself!

I understood he rather became a mediator between music and the audience.
I heard his love.
His song was love!
There was no chance the ego comes in.

Some times it happens to the artists.
The moment they become --0--.
This is just Music.

[Noncy Cowans]

@F. continue:
When I myself met beautiful, original(historical)Italian baroque instruments, they(instruments) taught me, I just sit there and I can give them my two hands and 10 fingers.(it happened in 1982 as a first time)
I learned to be just a mediator of music from these excellent instruments.^

No ego any more, I am totally free.
Music is free!

What I do is just listening.
And the instrument sings like a bird!

The sincere listening tells us, each note has a life.
And each note knows, how to move to the next note.

It's a moment of the silence.
We become --0--, just music is there,
We need to just press (touch) one key for the next key.

I heard that from Muti.
Unexpectedly I was burst to tears.
It was so beautiful!

It happened to such small, small musician of mine, in that case it's not strange at all it happens to the great musicians much more special and beautiful way!!

The tempo is one of that results.

And Muti is a real great musician.
His gift is very rich.
What he has inside of him is very very unique.

I am not a specialist for the opera.
But the essential artistic character of the opera must be , PLAY and MUSIC become ONE!

In the Macbeth case , how Shakespear lives in Verdi.
How Verdi talks to Shakespear.

It is everything to me!
The high D etc., dosen't disturb me so much.(Muti will kill me!)

When almost miracle way, they become --ONE LIFE--,it's Eternal, real Art! Noncy(thanks OC , You give me a chance to write this)

[Bill Philin Ploplis]

You have such a beautiful "soul," Noncy. I enjoyed your poem very much. You will learn much about Muti from his new autobiography: First the Music, Then the Words (Prima la musica, poi le parole). His ideas about music and theater are very interesting: he believes in discipline but also in creative spontaneity.

[f.]

dear noncy,
thank you very much for your long comment.
first, i want to excuse me if my english is not perfect. generally, i prefer to speak french.

about your 'idea' of music and what a musician should be, well i agree with you. BUT...there is a 'but'. you talk about something i felt only with claudio abbado and only once with muti (i was at the opera di roma for that glorious nabucco).

muti is very 'deep', but everything he conducts is 'covered' by perfection...something that doesn't permit you to go inside his interpretation of music. and so the results are sometimes great (nabucco, moise et pharaon, verdi requiem), other times not so glorious (jommelli's demofoonte, die zauberflote, this macbeth).

every concert by claudio abbado is something that you'll never forget. with muti...it could appen, but not every time. he is not better than pappano or gergev.

the second aspect -the most important- is that muti, like a lot of conductors (i'm thinking about pappano, for example) are not able to choose good voices and they doesn't accept that someone else could create 'their' cast for 'their' operas.
the results are terrifying like in this case.

even me i'm able to think about a better cast for a macbeth...
Macbeth: lado ataneli
lady: dolora zajick / krassimira stoyanova
banco: lucio gallo /f. furlanetto/ marco spotti.....
malcolm/macduff: stefano secco

i'm talking about voices because opera is the SING. it's not a symphony. if i go to the opera is to listen the voices. maybe muti doesn't accept the fact that in a opera there is someone else more important than him on stage. BUT some real great conductors (bernstein, bohm, giulini, kleiber) had a different opinion about this.

and i don't think muti has never felt a '0' in his life..neither in front of music.
finally...i appreciate him very much as musician and for his sense of humor. for me he isn't the greatest today.

[Noncy Cowans]

Dear Bill, You are too kind. I don't deserve it , but thank you!

I bought --Prima la Musica, poi le Parole--in Lecce, I think it was in march.

I read through the book without sleeping.
But with a dictionary!

I didn't know there is a trunslation in English.
I will search it . It's much easier to read in English for me. Thanks! Noncy

[Noncy Cowans]

It's a mystery, F! Still worth!
Don't give up! Noncy

[Frank]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GuVBIg56ow0