Bold staging of Verdi’s Macbeth by rising opera company Lirica Arts

Verdi’s Macbeth

Lirica Arts
Victoria Theatre
March 27, 7.30pm

Lirica Arts, a local opera company formed just four years ago, has produced its second fully staged opera since its encouraging debut with Italian composer Gioachino Rossini’s L’Inganno Felice in 2022.

Fellow Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi’s first Shakespearean opera Macbeth, which premiered in 1847 and was revised in 1865, was an ambitious choice – but one the opera scene here needs, having had multiple productions of La Traviatas, La Bohemes and Carmens.

Verdi’s Macbeth is faithful to the plot of Shakespeare’s play, with the added dimension of music sung in Italian. It was first presented by Singapore Lyric Opera in 2001, conducted by Singaporean conductor Lim Yau. Twenty-five years later, this production with The Philharmonic Orchestra was led by his son, Lin Juan.

With familiar characters and an easy story to follow, stage director Tang Xinxin’s task was to pique the imagination of the audience. This was considerably aided by baritone Martin Ng, artistic director of Lirica Arts, in the titular role, and soprano Zhang Jie as his infamous spouse.

Ng’s transformation from humble Thane of Glamis to bloodthirsty King of Scotland was compelling in his tragic depiction of self-doubt turning into fatal ambition.

Good as Ng was in his chest-beating stentorian arias, it was Zhang’s Lady Macbeth who delivered the tour de force. Her blood-curdling La Luce Langue (The Light Fades) and sleep-walking aria Una Macchia E Qui Tuttora (Out, Damned Spot!) were standout solos.

Their respective deaths, however, were strangely low-key. She in her blood-red gown just walked into the shadows, while he was unceremoniously dispatched by excellent tenor Jonathan Charles Tay’s Macduff.

Supporting the cast were South Korean bass Martin Ohu as the ill-fated Banquo and tenor Jonathan MacPherson as Malcolm, the new king.

The 18-strong Lirica Arts Festival Chorus led by chorus master Terrence Toh was effective in the crowd scenes, singing the famous chorus of exiles Patria Oppressa! (Oppressed Homeland!), and in scenes involving the Witches (nine of them, rather than the three in Shakespeare’s play). Significant in community outreach was the inclusion of three students from Art:DIS (Arts & Disability Singapore) among the refugees.

Set and lighting design by Dorothy Png was particularly evocative, with dark hues employed in scenes with supernatural elements. The Lion Rampant to represent Scottish monarchy was historically accurate, and the smart use of AI-generated backdrops helped reduce costs without looking cheap.

Costume design by Hayden Ng – subdued for the oppressed and bolder for the main characters – contributed to generating the right atmosphere.

The 2001 production of Macbeth may have been more opulent owing to a bigger budget, but Lirica Arts must be credited for attempting this at a time when arts funding for classical opera is comparatively conservative.

The company is now ready to join the esteemed ranks of the more established Singapore Lyric Opera and New Opera Singapore.

There are two more shows on March 28 at 7.30pm and March 29 at 4pm, with tickets from $48 to $168. For more information, go to https://str.sg/f6ZP