Keenlyside's Stunning U.K. Debut as Macbeth

Simon Keenlyside as Macbeth

England was abuzz about more than the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William this month. In opera circles, the chatter was about barihunk Simon Keenlyside's long-awaited U.K. debut as the title character in Verdi's "Macbeth." Apparently, the always intense and vocally gifted singer didn't disappoint.

Liudmyla Monastyrska and Simon Keenlyside

There are six performances remaining through June 13th. Our man in London also says that the Lady Macbeth of Liudmyla Monastyrska should not be missed and that it may rival the great interpreters of the last fifty years. Click HERE for additional cast and performance information. The performance is scheduled to be shown in theaters on June 13, so check your local movie listings. You can watch the Opus Arte trailer HERE.

Erica Jeal in The Guardian had this to say:

It is not bad as drama, either. Credit should perhaps go chiefly to Pappano, who keeps the pace pushing forward, but a large amount is due also to Simon Keenlyside, singing the title role in the UK for the first time. Yes, there are other baritones with more velvet in their sound, but Keenlyside captures the guilty king's uneasy swagger, lit up in the relentless chiaroscuro of Lloyd's staging. He brings innate dramatic conviction to his vocal performance as much as to his acting; his aria before the assault of Birnam Wood is tremendous.

Here he is singing Macbeth's aria from the Vienna State Opera last year:



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