r/opera • u/Interesting-Ad-8839 • 2d ago
Macbeth at The Met on 10/14
Saw it last night and loved every minute of the evening. It was my first time seeing Macbeth, so there’s probably some novelty at play, but we all know the story (duh) and I'd boned up on the music.
First, it was so great to see a packed house, especially for Verdi. I always sit in the Grand Tier because I like to see the orchestra and love how it sounds from there. (Just bring some small binoculars.) But the crowd is Old. That said, I went up to the Family Circle at intermission … it was PACKED with young people. I wanna hang out with that crowd next time.
Second, Peter Gelb, who runs the Met, came out in front of the curtain before the show, and the audience groaned. We thought (at least I did) that we were getting a replacement announcement. Instead, he reminded us how the Met has supported Ukraine and its people since the war began and will remain steadfast in doing so as the war rages on. To honor their people, he said the orchestra would play the Ukrainian national anthem and asked the audience to stand. (I’m starting to tear up again writing this.) As they played, you could hear some big voices, I think from behind the curtain and maybe one box, singing the words to the anthem. It was so moving on a day when the highest ranks of our government were turning their backs on Ukraine. I also wondered if it was connected to the dancers from Georgia who were about to perform.
Third, what gorgeous, epic sets. I know this was the director’s first time staging an opera at the Met … why’d it take so long?! Every choice she makes has a big idea behind it. And gosh, you can see why the Met is in serious financial straits. They spent some m-o-n-e-y on this. Grand staging. The witches were SPELLBINDING, and they made so much sense as a chorus in how they were presented, thriving on mayhem and carnage and working their way into every part of the Macbeths’ lives. And those Georgian dancers, with real sparks flying off their swords! A fight sequence that felt right and not remotely silly.
Three and a half: Yikes, it was hard not to see this story as an allegory (a mirror?) of where we are today: an amoral leader who will stop at nothing to gain power and riches, and a chorus of sycophants who empower and encourage him. (Maybe not so much the wife this time around.)
Fourth, the orchestra! I’d been listening (mostly) to Erich Leinsdorf’s Met recording for the past couple of weeks. I know live is simply better, and I'd been listing to an old recording, but the orchestra sounded SO MUCH BETTER. Rich, enveloping, balanced … and some of the foreboding drumbeats that wear on me in the recording felt propulsive instead. Energetic, even jaunty.
Finally, the voices! I know we’re so lucky to hear the world’s finest singers at the Met, but you really felt it with this Macbeth. Especially Quinn Kelsey: he was gripping every moment he was on stage, which was basically all three hours. Everyone delivered. Lise Davidsen is a spellbinding presence and a wonderful match for Quinn. And I loved Ryan Speedo Green, which is such a great name, as Banquo.
Anyway, a rave from me. What a moving, gorgeous night out in New York!
Excited to see Lincoln in the Bardo in two weeks...
14
u/Perseid56 2d ago
I was there last night as well. Knew the story (thanks to high school and college!) but hadn’t pre-gamed the music as I usually do. I was blown away. Everything about this production was perfect. And yep, Gelb’s commentary was unexpected and very moving.
12
u/Lane4Imaging 2d ago
You can see it this Saturday in HD!
6
u/Interesting-Ad-8839 2d ago
They had cameras set up last night — maybe it’s “our” performance!
6
u/Dpell71 2d ago
They always do a dress rehearsal at the performance before the HD.
8
u/Lane4Imaging 2d ago
And I believe that all Saturday performances in theaters in HD are broadcast live.
1
u/Worried_Instance_992 1d ago
I was going to say I can't wait for the screening - not realizing it is tomorrow! Tx for reminding us!
10
u/christ_w_attitude 2d ago
I saw it on Saturday and was also blown away. I've been telling everyone to go!
Normally you have to hear the voices warm up through the 1st and sometimes the 2nd acts. But there was no need. Everyone's voices were in fantastic all the way through.
4
u/52beaumont 2d ago
I was there last night as well, center orchestra (fantastic seats). Spectacular from start to finish! Spellbinding singers!
The opera audience wants spectacle! Grand opera, not stripped down modern staging and sets. Less ‘new’ productions and more like this, please. You will fill the house!
5
u/anarchy45 1d ago edited 1d ago
the set was really stripped down in comparison to Turandot or La Boheme. And I still cant get over the 20th-century rebar that was poking out of the false proscenium that framed the set
5
u/SusanMShwartz 1d ago
I thought it was superb, one of the best productions I have seen at the Met in my 40 years of going.
5
u/k_from_HyperDraw 1d ago
this was an amazing rendering of classic Macbeth. Stagecraft, combined with ballet, and fight choreography.
Must watch.
_____________
SPOILERS BELOW:
Special callout for the witches becoming "less of a grandmas from the forest" and more of the "inner dark voices"was really to the point.
the ending was also great, although some people left right after it, seemed to not appreciate the "gaddafi the musical" contemporary realism of it. Then: witches crown the NEW king, and 4th wallish "wait- are WE the bad guys" feeling is a touche.
3
u/TekaLynn212 Large Wagnerian Mother 1d ago
Eugene Opera coincidentally did a little Macbeth at the same time the Met did its big one. The Three Witches were ballet dancers. They crawled out of the wings at the very end, while everyone else was paying homage to Malcolm, and started circling Fleance!
5
4
u/FlamingoClub67 2d ago
I saw it Sep 29 and this role really suited Quinn Kelsey. The sets were marvelous
Also seeing Lincoln in the Bardo this month.
5
u/FinnemoreFan Tayside Opera 1d ago
So excited to see this tomorrow all the way across the ocean in Scotland, via the live cinema broadcast.
1
7
u/Manor4548 2d ago
Yeah, it’s one of my top Met memories. Kelsey and Davidsen kill it. The orchestra is just so lush. We are honored to have such a production in NYC.
But Gelb still needs to go.
3
u/sopracutie 2d ago
Loved reading this and getting a glimpse of your excitement!! Hopefully I can see it too!
2
4
u/PJ10028 2d ago
Let me process this. You had a 400 dollar grand tier seat and you moved up to family circle because of the age of your neighbors?
6
u/Interesting-Ad-8839 1d ago
The Grand Tier ticket cost ms $225, not $400. (I purchase a five-performance season.) And I wandered up to the bar area upstairs at intermission, not to sit.
6
u/anarchy45 1d ago
i paid $170 for a seat in the center of the grand tier in row C on opening night. Cheaper than a lot of Broadway shows tbh.
1
u/PJ10028 1d ago
Then you bought your ticket far in advance because if you look at the current seating charts, thats just not the case
3
u/anarchy45 1d ago
I just checked my receipt. Opening night was 9/22 and I bought my ticket on 9/18 .
5
u/Big_Geologist_4169 2d ago
i think op meant just during intermission to look around, not for the performance
1
u/VecsyRdr 1d ago
I didn’t see “a packed house” in the YouTube video of the Ukrainian national anthem. I saw loads of empty seats in all tiers.
-6
u/NatusDelirious 2d ago
Gelb has all the sympathy for Ukraine because of his wife and because of whiteness. None at all for Gaza.
-1
u/Responsible_Pear_579 1d ago
Wow Gelb showed up for once and yet again begged for money to use irresponsibly. Yawn
0
0
u/Patient_Stand7463 5h ago
Agree with everything, but your words about the leader. It would be true about Clintons , Obama and Biden. Opera was absolutely amazing.
-2
u/StarBabyDreamChild 2d ago
TL; DR: OP enjoyed the performance, dislikes old people
3
u/Interesting-Ad-8839 1d ago
I like old people, I am one.
It's just I often hear -- and get the sense myself when I attend -- that the audience for known, repertoire operas at the Met is old and homogenous, and that productions of a Verdi chestnut don't help with audience development. And that's why the Met keeps putting on gimmicky new operas -- to attract and develop future audiences. Which is an expensive proposition.
So, what I meant: it was a relief and welcome surprise to see a younger, hipper, more diverse audience in attendance, just on a floor I don't usually go to. (I was actually looking for a short bathroom line, which is a classic old white guy thing to do.)
I thought the observation might be interesting for others, too, who don't make it all the way up there.
27
u/PretendBake1536 2d ago
Agreed honestly may be the best opera I have ever seen. Just an amazing production, music, sets, acting! My husband and I are still talking about it…