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 Maybe the best recording of Macbeth Nov 27, 2009
Great recording of Macbeth. Leonard Warren is possibly the best Macbeth. I really like the fact that they added the "death aria" from the 1847 version, but still kept the victory chorus at the opera's end. Leonie Rysanek has no problems with the demanding role of Lady Macbeth. Her high notes are strong and powerful, but not shrill. Carlo Bergonzi does a marvelous job with the smaller tenor role. They just don't make tenors like him today. Also, I really liked the chorus, that in Macbeth plays an important part that is second only to the two principle roles. They did a great job with the witches. The ensemble pieces, that close acts I and II, were dramatic and impressive. Leinsdorf's conducting is to my taste, not too fast or too slow. The booklet includes a good english translation that is almost literal. I now have 15 different recordings of Macbeth (my favorite opera), and I find that I listen to this one more than any other. I highly recommend.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 The main attractions are the stupendous Warren and Rysanek Feb 08, 2007
Note: Please ignore an undue number of negative votes for this review. They come from a few mindless stalkers.
You can throw a rock at random and hit a five-star review for practically anything at Amazon, especially when it comes to operas, but in this case the superlatives are deserved on two fronts. First and foremost is the young Leonie Rysanek, a great vocal actress who throws herself into the role of Lady Macbeth that every rival is swept off the stage except Callas. But Rysanek had a far more beautiful voice than Callas, and her two big arias are examples of vocal splendor.
The ohter star is the legendary Leonard Warren, but newcomers should be warned that by 1959 Warren's magnificent dark baritone had acquired some wobble under pressure and was slightly frayed around the edges. Even so, he is passionate, ruthless, and dramatically convincing in one of his signature roles.
Why, then, a reduction to four stars for the set as a whole? First, the sound. RCA didn't always manage stereo well, and here they often start an aria out completely in the left speaker and end it entirely in the right. Duets plunk one singer in each channel. You might not be as annoyed as I was, but in any event there's shrillness and microphone shatter to contend with, too, and a chorus placed at the very back of the stage.
The ohter, bigger negative is the brisk, uninflected conducting of the always rigid, sometimes disastrous Erich Leinsdorf. Here he's not terrible, thank goodnesss, but he's no asset, and the finicky Met orchestra plays routinely for him. Again, some opera lovers care only aobutt the voice and won't be as bothered as I was, but I'm sure Verdi cared deeply about the overall conception, not just one aria at a time. This is a one-aria-at-a-time performance graced by two stupendous voices.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
ALL TIME BEST Feb 03, 2005
This recording, in my opinion, is the overall ALL TIME BEST recording of this opera. I think this is an under rated Verdi opera. The music is very dramatic and listenable. It follows the story quite well also. The musical direction is perfect especially for the age of the recording. The direction is clear and energetic. Now, for singing. There are no words to describe Leonard Warren. I have not heard this recording since I was a teenager. I finally found the CD and listened to it the other day. Leonard Warren still sends chills. His large dramatic voice lends itself well to Macbeth. He gives power to the role where most other baritones just gives weakness. His voice is glorious. No other can match his incredible voice. As a far as Leonie Rysanek, I absolutely love this singer. I saw her in her "declining" years at the Met years ago in Electra and her voice was very youthful and beautiful. She is the finest Lady Macbeth ever. Her voice is even, her high notes are not pushed and over produced. She uses her beautiful voice well and I don't find myself cringing like I do with so many of today's voices. This truely is an era where singers took time to really learn to sing and you can hear it in this recording. Leonie is dramatic without sacrificing her voice. She uses many different colors, again without sacrificing her voice to do so. In addition, Lady Macbeth is a soprano role and should be sung by a soprano and not a mezzo no matter how high a mezzo can screatch up to the high notes. Jerome Hines is dark, musical, strong, and, well, perfect. You just couldn't get any better than that. If you are looking for a recording that is completely perfect, this is it. Yes, it has the slightly older sound that is quickly forgotten within seconds. They did a very good job in transferring this to CD. This is the second recording I have of this opera. The first is with Birgit Nilsson, another incredible recording with Nilsson and the orchestra as the stars. The Macbeth is okay and from there it goes down hill. But it is worth the price just for Nilsson. However, this recording of Warren and Reysanek is the best. I will never get tired of listening to these great artists. I wish we had them today.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
A Legendary Album Of Verdi's Macbeth Nov 27, 2004
Although it isn't perfect as some critics would have it, I find this recording sensational. The Metropolitan Opera conducted by Erich Leinsdorf, treats Verdi's Macbeth as an early grand opera of his, which it truly is. Macbeth is a sensational, dramatic and dark play and as an opera it is equally as electrifying. Verdi's first big success is credited as Nabucco but Macbeth is well-made, having many dramatic moments that should bring down the house. Leonard Warren was a famous baritone who was instantly a Met legend because he died on the stage of the Met of a heart attack after singing the lines "Morir tremenda cosi " "What a horrible thing is death" in the opera La Forze Del Destino by Verdi. Warren IS Macbeth, ambitious, driven, cruel, heartless. Everyone seems to think that he is the true reason you should get this recording. No other interpretor matches his performance.
As for Leonie Rysanek. She is incredible ! True she overacts, she is melodramatic and she sounds totally crazy, but I think this is how she should be performed. Critics have always admired Shirley Verrett's performance as Lady Macbeth, which they feel is more accurate on a human level. But I find that Rysanek is a fine Lady Macbeth. After all, the character is dark and crazy. At the beginning of the drama, she is ambitious, bloodthirsty and even more cruel than her husband. She drives her husband to murder and to seize power. She is the dark part of Macbeth's own nature. Such a strong woman suddenly turning crazy in the Mad Scene is incoherent. Therefore the singing and acting should come off as crazy ! It makes sense to me. No one sings like that then Leonie Rysanek who can sing in the classical diva style but with so much bite and fury. I find that she is doing a perfect job. This is an old recording with fine sound quality, with a great cast. Carlo Bergonzi sings the tenor role of Macduff, a tame performance but good nonetheless. He is meant to sound "noble" and "good" next to the dark Macbeth of Leonard Warren. This is why the role of Macbeth is a bass or baritone role. The tenors are rarely the villain. The great exception is Verdi's own creation in the Duke in Rigoletto. This opera is terrific and highly recommended. Don't just ignore it. Listen to the Macbeth that you will most like among the many recordings. But this one is one that ought to be on your exploration route.
8 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 Terribly disappointing Sep 30, 2004
Let me be frank. I obtained this recording because of the other positive reviews here, and because I hold Leonard Warren in very high esteem as an artist. He is fantastic here as Macbeth. Leonie Rysanek, a soprano who normally didn't record well, is in excellent voice here. But a performance never really "happens," and I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of conductor Erich Leinsdorf, an experienced theater conductor who apparently had no feeling for Verdi. Leinsdorf's recordings of Puccini and Wagner operas are quite fine, but this one is DOA: stiff, lifeless, square as a cube, man.
Which is a shame because, as I say, Warren is incomparably the best Macbeth on records. Rysanek sings with power and musicality, but, you never really "feel" Lady Macbeth in her. The late Jerome Hines is an excellent Banquo, but Banquo's role is very small. Carlo Bergonzi sings the music of Macduff. That's all he does - sing notes. Very nicely, but he could as well be singing "Arrivaderci Roma" or "The Hut-Sut Song" for all the difference it makes, not an aria about his anguish in losing the family he loved. The Witches sound studied and bored. All in all, a very disappointing failure.
The finest performance of this much-maligned opera is still the 1952 Callas conducted by the great Victor de Sabata. You can see my comments at that listing.
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