Germany Verdi, Macbeth: Soloists, Refrain, Additional refrain and Extras of Theater Bremen, Bremer Philharmoniker / Stefan Klingele (conductor). Theater Bremen, 15.3.2024. (DMD)

Manufacturing:
Director – Elisabeth Stöppler
Stage design – Thilo Ullrich, Raimund Orfeo Voigt
Costume design – Nicole Pleuler
Lighting design – Christian Kemmetmüller
Dramaturgy – Frederike Krüger, Caroline Scheidegger
Refrain director – Noori Cho

Forged:
Macbeth – Elias Gyungseok Han
Banquo – Hidenori Inoue
Girl Macbeth – Sarah-Jane Brandon
Dama (Girl Macduff) – Elisa Birkenheier
Macduff – Luis Olivares Sandoval
Malcolm – Ian Spinetti
Servo – Christoph Heinrich
Macduff’s daughters – Carlotta Böhnke, Mina Gutzeit, Asuka Kodama
Fleanzio – Navin Felgendreher

In Elisabeth Stöppler’s imaginative and thought-provoking manufacturing, the motion passed off round and inside a room with stable partitions on two sides and huge home windows, which can additionally function doorways, on the opposite two sides (stage design by Thilo Ullrich and Raimund Orfeo Voigt). The room moved as wanted, in all instructions left, proper, ahead and backward, and on a revolve within the spherical. The motion was achieved effectively, with out disturbing noises or stagehands visibly combating heavy units. The room confirmed scenes of life at courtroom (Duncan’s go to), non-public life (the Macduffs) and the murderous machinations perpetrated by the Macbeths – for starters the scene after Duncan’s homicide, with the our bodies of the late King and the servants draped across the edges of the area. Later, the Macbeths closed the home windows from the skin and people inside, their assumed enemies, tried desperately to get out – they screamed, inaudibly, and died. Macbeth and Girl Macbeth have been primarily outdoors of that area of society, they have been within the gray, darkish, harshly lit world, inhabited additionally by the refrain of witches and by the ghosts of these murdered by the Macbeths. For the ultimate scene, this room had been taken aside, and its elements had been positioned flat on the ground. Society in Macbeth’s kingdom was impoverished: the refrain members representing that society weren’t sporting any trousers. Costumes all through have been up to date. The up to date setting of the manufacturing was highlighted by the choice to make many of the characters into chain people who smoke. Extra on this directorial determination later!

Shakespeare’s story was instructed very effectively, with bass Christian Heinrich, slim, tall and with greater than shoulder-long reddish hair, as a sort of pivotal chorus-like character, who was in flip the doctor, a servant, and a henchman. He rendered a few of Shakespeare’s phrases in impeccable English that may not have been amiss in a Royal Shakespeare Firm or Royal Nationwide Theatre manufacturing.

Consideration to element was as obvious within the music because it was attribute of the manufacturing general. Every refrain member appeared to have been given or to have developed their very own narrative as to character and motivation. The refrain, directed by Noori Cho, demonstrated unity in range. Stefan Klingele introduced out the nuances of the rating very effectively certainly. Underneath his baton the music was at instances refined, at instances strong, sombre and even near-cheerful, at all times suitably so. He formed the orchestra’s totally different instrumental teams right into a differentiated soundscape. His singers have been capable of depend on his consideration to their wants.

The singers have been all from the wonderful firm of Theater Bremen. Whereas that excellence shone via in all instances, I’m unhappy to say that a number of of them appeared to be delivering beneath their regular ranges of excellence. My solely rationalization is that this was as a result of affect of exhibiting them smoking. I’m not positive what sort of substance was used to create the impact of cigarette smoke, however I couldn’t assist feeling that no matter it was affected the performers’ voices adversely. I don’t want to speculate concerning the explanation why the manufacturing insisted on having them smoke however would argue that taking the danger of an opposed affect of a directorial or dramaturgical selection on the singer’s foremost ability, their singing (!), is kind of unfair, to say the least, to the singers. It impacts their very livelihood! Sarah-Jane Brandon acted together with her regular dedication however lacked her regular consistency throughout the vary of her voice, with the decrease register sounding extra spoken than sung. The voice got here into bloom solely within the greater passages, and even right here she didn’t command the great thing about tone she had demonstrated as Elisabetta in Don Carlos final season. Elias Gyungseok Han sang Macbeth initially with an abandon of energy, with elegant phrasing and a excessive stage of musicality. He was equally comfortable with loud and refined passages, however the voice sounded worn-out earlier than the tip. Luis Olivares Sandoval offered Macduff’s aria with out a few of the burnished high quality one has come to anticipate and admire in his voice. He seemed decidedly uncomfortable in the course of the aria. I’m genuinely and deeply upset on behalf of those singers!

The singers of Malcolm, Girl Macduff and Banquo weren’t required to smoke. Ian Spinetti sounded in a lot brisker voice as Malcolm. Elisa Birkenheier (Girl Macduff) soared fantastically above orchestra and refrain alike. Hidenori Inoue (Banquo) has a convincing, sonorous bass. The viewers, fairly unusual for Bremen, didn’t applaud the principle singers’ particular person arias in any respect, or solely extraordinarily hesitantly, though Klingele clearly allowed time for applause. On the curtain name the applause was wanting enthusiastic however nonetheless heat. If solely…

Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe