From London to Berlin - from tenor to baritone? (Macbeth, Berlin 2015-02-07)

With lovely memories from London with tenor Jonas Kaufmann as Andrea Chenier I went to work. Then Friday came and work was over for this week. Home from work and resting, eating and getting sure the last things also came with me to Berlin. Night bus to Oslo Gardermoen. I slept some in the bus. It was not too bad. 5 in the morning, wake-up I am at the airport. Traveling via Hamburg to Berlin and the same back home. Ok. Hotel an der Oper in Berlin. I could not get my room imediately but suddenly my room was ready. I should have slept some hours in my bed there but no, I went looking for a special restaurant, got lost and lost some hours. I almost fell asleep in restaurant Rosati waiting for my pizza. Then opera time.

2015-02-07 Macbeth (Verdi), Staatsoper im Schiller Theater (Berlin)

Macbeth = Plácido Domingo
Lady Macbeth = Liudmyla Monastyrska
Macduff = Rolando Villazón
Banco = René Pape
Malcolm = Florian Hoffmann
Dama di Lady Macbeth = Evelin Novak
Medico = Jan Martiník
Un Sicario = Jan Martiník

Daniel Barenboim, conductor

NACH EINER INSZENIERUNG VON
Peter Mussbach

Tenor Placido Domingo is now a baritone (just like he is sometimes the conductor. Tenor Rolando Villazon was in good shape as Macduff.

The production was good. It was one of the productions where the witches is really spot on. This was a believable theater. Scenography was just to give a emotional feeling. Colors and lights was also done to make us feel the reality in stead of just seeing it in a realistic setting. Placido Domingo's baritone was dark and heavy and he was a very much believable Macbeth. Ludmila Monastyrska was an amazing Lady Macbeth. Her voice has the most velvety, beautiful quality and at the same time she gives the role all the rage and all the other feelings. Beautiful and dangerous woman. Rene Pape as Banquo is naturally a solid choice and does this role well. Rolando Villazon was Macduff and in this production Macduff gets a little lost not strange when we Birnam forest move (Fangorn!!!! - Tolkien, dude). 

Small things, sometimes Macbeth sings about something he sees but the production team misses to make the audience see it. Was it it misses or did they decide to do it like it.

Sunday 8. February 2015 and I am up at 0645 and checks out. Then to Tegel airport. Hamburg. Oslo Gardermoen. I decide to not take bus home, but fly. So over 12 hrs after wake up and I am home again.

For reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com