As Italian operas go, Verdi’s Macbeth has had a checkered past with me. Though eventually well-served on recordings and videos over the years, the opera always seemed to come up short live, on stage in the House. The Casper Nehar/Carl Ebert production, the one that introduced Macbeth to the Met’s stage in 1959, was dusty and dull by our first live encounter in 1973, in spite of Sherrill Milnes’ solid essay of the title role. The Peter Hall production in November, 1982, Milnes again, an otherwise decent cast and all, was framed in a misguided, silly conception, loudly booed on its opening night: the roar of an audience enraged, literally springing out of their seats at curtain call by the production’s creative team, still echoes in my ears. The current one by Adrian Noble didn’t work particularly well in 2007; I was unable to attend its recent revival in 2014.

Anna Netrebko shines in Verdi’s Macbeth — Anna Netrebko shines in Verdi’s *Macbeth*

Fast forward to Saturday night, when, for me, it finally came together. This was due to a number of key factors. First and foremost is the electrifying Lady Macbeth of Anna Netrebko. As in her Adriana Lecouvreur last season, Netrebko has now added to her thrilling upper range a rich lower register, thus making the total voice closer in quality and volume to the likes of Shirley Verrett, Grace Bumbry or Fiorenza Cossotto, each appropriately categorized as mezzo sopranos. Onstage Netrebko is fierce, demonic, demanding, and demonstrative, a force to conjure with on all levels. I was prepared for this, knowing her as I do, just not prepared for the powerful impact of her characterization from start to finish, live in the House. Wow! Don’t miss it.

The last minute withdrawal of Placido Domingo, who was to sing Macbeth, left a last-minute hole in the cast. Željko Lučić, who, of late, has owned the title role (as well as several other principal baritone roles at the Met), was already scheduled to appear later in its short run. He sang the role in the 2007 premiere of the current production and again in 2014 (to Netrebko’s first essay of Lady Macbeth at the Met). So Lučić, in fact, will in the subsequent performances of Macbeth (dates listed below). But this past Saturday the Met gave us bass-baritone Craig Colclough, making a very successful Company debut.

Craig Colclough makes Met debut in Verdi’s Macbeth — Craig Colclough makes Met debut in Verdi’s *Macbeth*

One hopes it will be remembered here as a ‘star is born’ sort of evening for Colclough: his voice, to my ears, has the rough but bright brown color of Leonard Warren (who premiered Macbeth at the Met in 1959), though missing Warren’s edgy top. I cannot compare the two in volume: I never heard Warren live in the House, only from Met broadcasts after the fact. Colclough’s voice was easily sufficient to ride over the orchestra.

Equally important, though, is Colclough’s many-faceted interpretation: this night Macbeth had his weaknesses, his fears, his demons, and though he committed all of the dastardly deeds in the script, he clearly suffers, particularly when Banquo’s Ghost appears and when the woods are closing in on him. His grief at the announcement of his Lady’s death was touching. All in all Colclough’s Macbeth is not a merely ‘stand and deliver’ substitution. Very affecting! Bravo!

Ildar Abdrazakov is a sturdy Banquo, rich in voice; Matthew Polenzani conveys MacDuff’s sadness over the death of his family, especially the loss of his dear children, with a tender, sweet voice that tugs at one’s heartstrings.

Others in the cast include Giuseppe Filianoti as Malcolm, Harold Wilson as a Doctor, and Sarah Cambridge as the Lady-in-Waiting. The three Apparitions are Christopher Job as a Warrior, Meigui Zhang as a Bloody Child, and Karen Chia-Ling Ho as a Crowned Child. Raymond Renault is King Duncan, Bradley Garvin is a Servant, Richard Bernstein is a Murderer, Yohan Yi is a Herald, and Misha Grossman is Banquo’s son Fleance.

Metropolitan Opera Chorus, under Chorus Master Donald Palumbo, executed their various roles with vigor and volume; under the baton of Marco Armiliato, Macbeth coalesces into a grandly dark experience which fills the House up to the ceiling. His tempi are broad, never rushed, not even in those parts of Verdi’s score which linger on the borders of his earlier, more bouncy style. Though it premiered in 1847, many parts of the score of Macbeth look forward past La Traviata, even past Simon Boccanegra. Conspicuous is Verdi’s concern for the color of the sound of Shakespeare’s tale.

**The soldiers and the people gather in the woods on a cold night before the final battle**

The Adrian Noble production, with sets and costumes by Mark Thompson, lighting designed by Jean Kalman, and choreography by Sue Lefton holds up well. Again, the mood, the color matches the drama on stage and the music coming from the pit. We left the Met quite moved.

Although…one still wonders why the witches need to bounce around like drag characters from a Monty Python skit. Smirks and laughter in the audience kill the mood, but thankfully their tenure on stage is brief.

One should need no encouragement to witness the great Anna Netrebko as Lady Macbeth; but this Macbeth on this Saturday evening was far greater than the sum of its parts. Magic at the Met. Dig it.

Review performance date: September 28, 2019.

Photos: Ken Howard; photo of Craig Colclough is courtesy Metropolitan Opera.

Verdi’s Macbeth was written in four acts, but is here performed in two acts (Act I & II running approximately 90 minutes, a single intermission, then Act III & IV). It will be performed on the Met stage again on the evenings of October 4, 8, and 12.

Macbeth will not be telecast in HD this season, but a performance from the fall will be recorded and broadcast on Saturday, December 21, 2019, on Sirius XM and most likely on WQXR FM in the New York metropolitan area.

Welcome back! Enjoy the new season. OM