Macbeth premièred in Florence in 1847; a revised version was performed in Paris in 1865. Although Verdi idolised Shakespeare, he would not return to the Bard until the end of his career, with the late masterpieces Otello (1887) and Falstaff (1893). (He long flirted with the idea of adapting King Lear, but this came to nothing.)

A brief synopsis of the four-act opera by Verdi and Piave (with contributions to the libretto by Andrea Maffei) will suffice to demonstrate the differences between opera and play. Instead of Shakespeare’s three witches, there are eighteen. Prophesies astonish Macbeth (baritone James Clayton) and comrade Banquo (bass Jud Arthur). Macbeth’s murder of the Scottish King, Duncan (Bruce Denny), at the urging of Lady Macbeth (soprano Antoinette Halloran), facilitates Macbeth’s ascent to the throne. Nobleman Macduff (tenor Paul O’Neill) reveals the murder to the guilty parties, who feign horror. The Macbeths plot to murder Banquo and his son, Fleance (Thomas Denver). The former is slain; the latter escapes. Macduff leaves Scotland in disgust. Macbeth consults the witches, whose prophesies this time are less than cheery. The Macbeths agree that Macduff, who poses a threat, must die.

James Clayton as Macbeth in Macbeth (photograph by James Rogers)

The latter returns with Duncan’s son, Malcolm (tenor Matthew Lester), who heads up a large British army. No sooner is Macbeth informed of his wife’s death than he joins her, dispatched by Macduff. Malcom is now king of Scotland. End of story.

Musically, this opening-night performance could hardly have been bettered. Conductor Brad Cohen and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra began proceedings with a rousing overture, successfully overcoming His Majesty’s Theatre’s unsympathetic acoustic. Some extraordinary playing did justice to Verdi’s colourful score while contributing rhetorical force of the whole.

James Clayton, previously so good as Iago in Otello and as Falstaff, was as impressive in the Act I duettino with Banquo (hats off to Jud Arthur) and the Grand Scena e Duetto with Lady Macbeth as in Act III’s Apparition Scene and ‘Oh! mio terror! dell’ultimo’ and Act IV’s ‘Pietà, rispetto, amore’. Whether solo or in musical dialogue, Clayton responded to the text’s dramatic potency with rapid changes in vocal timbre and colour.

Antoinette Halloran is another one of those singers with a seemingly endless capacity for recognising a score’s dramatic potential and adapting her voice and personality to suit (an obvious, even banal observation, you might say – but it is surprising just how often one encounters the opposite, with scores being bent out of shape to suit the strengths or limitations of the singer). This is especially pertinent for Lady Macbeth, a role that requires of the singer a certain ‘ugliness’ of tone, which in turn requires great courage. Halloran expertly brought out not only the latent vulgarity in Act II’s brindisi, ‘Si colmi il calice’, but the gothic horror with which the famous sleepwalking aria, Una macchia, should abound.

Antoinette Halloran as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (photograph by by James Rogers)

Special mention should also be made of Paul O’Neill – another singer whom one finds hard to fault, whatever he performs His Act IV romanza ‘Ah, la paterna mano’ was glorious. The WA Opera Chorus was in fine form, especially in the Act I finale’s unaccompanied prayer following Duncan’s death.

My one quibble is a perennial one: the quality of the acting doesn’t match that of the singing. Whether the director is to blame, or whether the acting abilities of singers simply lag behind their abilities as musicians, there were times when the acting took on the nightmarish quality of panto, so comically exaggerated were movements, gestures, and facial expressions.

Why not aim for understated naturalism or a heightened sense of artificiality, such as one finds in Kabuki or Noh?

Macbeth, presented by West Australian Opera, is repeated at His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth, on October 22, 24, and 26. It will then be performed by the State Opera of South Australia at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide (12–21 November 2020). Performance attended: 19 October 2019.