Opera Scotland

Macbeth 2003Edinburgh International Festival

Read more about the opera Macbeth

Concert performances of opera conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras were almost an annual event at the Edinburgh Festival during his last years. Many were Mozart works, with recordings made for posterity. However some were of operas with which he was less identified, and although he had long been regarded as a wonderfully idiomatic conductor of Verdi, Macbeth is not a piece which had featured in his repertoire. He produced excellent results from his notable cast – and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus nearly raised the roof.

Of the soloists, two were quite outstanding. Canadian John Relyea was a lyrical and warm-toned Banquo. The Lady Macbeth was Violeta Urmana, dramatically gripping, just as her Kundry had been the previous year. The others were not quite on this level, though Mark Delavan's performance in the title role showed him to be a typically well-schooled American Verdi stylist.