Search - Giulio Mastrangelo, Ivan Petroff, Ivan Petrov :: Verdi: Macbeth

Pleasant surprise for Macbeth fans

Brian Lowery | Kearneysville, WV | 12/17/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although an older, live recording, this Macbeth delivers! 90% of the time you might think it is a studio recording; it sounds that good. Vittorio Gui is the real star. I prefer his conducting of this opera, since orchestration is the best part of Verdi's Macbeth. Many conductors fall short, because they only view the music as a backdrop to the singers. In the title role, Ivan Petroff, not to be confused with Ivan Petrov, the bass, delivers a solid performance and most of the time is every bit as good as more famous baritones, like Bruson, Cappuccilli, and Milnes. Another bright point is Astrid Varnay. Her powerful voice paints Lady Macbeth as a force to be reckoned with. The chorus is good at times, particularly with "Patria oppressa". Although a small part, Gino Pinno handles the one tenor aria, "o figli miei", very well. However, Italo Tajo is not a good Banquo, and thankfully he gets killed early in the opera. The packaging is meager, and consists of little more than a list of the cuts on the CD, no libretto. There is a bonus for Varnay fans, an additional cut on the 2nd CD of Astrid with Leonard Warren singing the duet from Simone Boccanegra. Overall, this recording will surprise fans of Verdi's Macbeth, and deserves your consideration."