In the eye of the hurricane (*****)

Francisco Negrin directs Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk in Leipzig [live]

Kristine Opolais as Katerina Izmailova © Kirstes Nijhof

It is quite clear that of all opera scores, Lady Macbeth is the most extreme in terms of dynamics. It therefore came as no surprise that Andris Nelsons would allow the score to explode in terms of dynamics. That is how it is meant to be, and that is how it comes across from the Leipzig orchestra pit. The excellent festival cast was hardly affected. Francisco Negrin's staging is “old school, but well done!” It had been 1965 since the work had last been on the program in Leipzig, then in the watered-down 1963 version directed by the legendary Joachim Herz.