Verdi: Macbeth LEONARD WARREN

'Faustus' is right. Great performances but sound distortion makes this pretty painful to listen to (and not just on the big choruses). I know we shouldn't expect audiophile quality from compressed music files but surely eMusic's techies can do better than this.

Splendid performance, but congested sound

faustus

I grew up on this magnificent performance, and I think Leonard Warren's Macbeth is still unmatched. But I found the sound almost unendurable during climactic choral moments, such as the searing finale to Act I, with painful distortion at sound levels above mezzo-forte. I am still delighted to have heard the unforgettable 'Fatal mia donna' duet, with Warren and Rysanek fulfilling Verdi's inhuman demands; it's a riveting performance, and at a total cost of four downloads I suppose it constitutes a bargain. But I could not listen to the Act I Finale because of the dreadful distortion.

Superb Metropoletan Recording

mathiassen

Leinsdorf at his best with this studio recording from the Metropoletan in 1959. The Met's ensemble singing was exquisite in this period. So keep a good eye on further releases of old RCA Met recordings (now that the 50 years copyrights are falling) from Past Classics/IODA, often with whole acts in one track. The sound is excellent, with only a few flaws.

Reference Recording

ABSALOM

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) : Macbeth. Melodramma in quattro atti. Libretto di Francesco Maria Piave tratta dalla tragedia di Shakespeare. Cast: Leonard Warren (Macbeth), Leonie Rysanek (Lady Macbeth), Jerome Hines (Banco), Carlo Bergonzi (Macduff), William Olvis (Malcolm), Carlotta Ordassy (Dama), Gerhard Pechner (Un Medico), Harold Sternberg (Un Servo), Osie Hawkins (Un Sicario), Calvin Marsh (Apparizione I), Emilia Cundari (Apparizione II), Mildred Allen (Apparizione III), Metropolitan Opera Chorus, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf (conductor). Recording: Feb. 1959, New York City, Manhattan Center. Original CD: RCA GD84516(2).