United States Verdi, Macbeth (1847 version), Bellini, La sonnambula: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Nuovo. New York City Center, 23 & 24.7.2025. (ES-S)
Teatro Nuovo has always defined itself by its distinctive approach to opera. In an era of technological spectacle and Regietheater reinterpretations, the company has gone the other way – away from theatrical distractions and deeper into the music and its historical context. For its 2025 summer season, Teatro Nuovo presented Verdi’s Macbeth (in its rarely heard 1847 version) and Bellini’s La sonnambula (performed in the original, higher vocal keys) at Montclair State University’s Alexander Kasser Theater in New Jersey and at New York City Center. Beyond the shared motif of sleepwalking, the real unifying thread lay in a shared stylistic approach – Teatro Nuovo’s commitment to historically informed performance using period instruments, a leadership model split between concertmaster and keyboard director, and an operatic ethos in which singers and orchestra are equal, breathing partners in the act of storytelling.
If any opera reveals the energy and contradictions of early Verdi, it is Macbeth. Premiered in 1847 – a decade before Rigoletto and La traviata – his first setting of a Shakespearean tragedy fuses bloodlust, political chaos and volatile recitative into something rawer and more direct than the better-known 1865 revision. In place of Lady Macbeth’s pensive, character-dimension-adding ‘La luce langue’, we hear the furious cabaletta ‘Trionfai! securi alfine’. Where later Verdi expanded scenes and deepened psychological nuance, the original version presses forward with driving cabalettas, choral laments and the composer’s early experiments in integrating arias more directly into the action flow. Among the most striking features of the 1847 version is the original form of the chorus ‘Patria oppressa’ – a soaring outcry from the suffering Scots that echoes the patriotic idealism of Nabucco and firmly situates the opera in Verdi’s Risorgimento phase.
Under Jakob Lehmann’s direction, the Teatro Nuovo orchestra – playing on gut strings, wooden winds and valveless brass – leaned into the score’s immediacy. Lehmann, the company’s associate artistic director, conducted with firm rhythmic control and an ear for accent and color, drawing vivid articulation from the winds and punchy, almost percussive accents from the strings. Without imposing overly fussy tempo shifts, he maintained a flexible pulse that gave space to vocal phrasing while preserving the tension and forward motion of Verdi’s early idiom. The textures were earthy and occasionally rough-edged, but expressive and energized – urgent without sacrificing musical detail.
Baritone Ricardo José Rivera delivered a Macbeth grounded in vocal strength and emotional immediacy. From his very first entrance – the Act I duet with Banquo (a low-profile Cumhur Görgün) and his brooding aside ‘Giorno non vidi mai sì fiero e bello’ – Rivera projected a presence that was both forceful and alert, portraying a figure propelled by ambition rather than paralyzed by doubt. His dark-hued baritone was well suited to Verdi’s early idiom, not just in sheer vocal weight but in the clarity of phrasing and inner conviction he brought to each phrase – a welcome alternative to mere declamation. His final appearance was especially compelling. In the jagged cabaletta ‘Mal per me che m’affidai’, his downfall was etched in rhythmic fragmentation and broken phrases – a far cry from the more introspective, redemptive death scene Verdi would compose for the 1865 revision.
As Lady Macbeth, Alexandra Loutsion brought a voice of commanding presence and steely weight. The role’s early-Verdi contours – wide leaps, declamatory phrases and abrupt emotional shifts – suited her muscular vocalism. She powered through the Act II brindisi with theatrical flair, her voice riding easily over the orchestra and chorus. But while her tone carried authority and stamina, the performance leaned more toward impact than insinuation. Loutsion’s Lady Macbeth came across as ruthless and unshakable – a figure of unyielding will – though at times the phrasing lacked the pliancy or psychological shading that might have lent her moments of intimacy a deeper chill. Her sleepwalking scene, while solidly sung, remained more external than haunted – a portrayal consistent with the 1847 version’s emphasis on violent momentum rather than introspective unraveling.
Among the secondary roles, tenor Martin Luther Clark proved a pleasant surprise as Macduff. In ‘Ah, la paterna mano’, he combined a bright, centered tone with clear diction and a well-shaped melodic line, bringing lyrical warmth to one of the score’s few moments of private emotion.
The stylistic distance between Bellini and early Verdi was evident the following night, when the Teatro Nuovo forces turned to La sonnambula – an opera semiseria of emotional transparency and pastoral grace, whose melodic beauty is unquestionable but whose musical architecture remains largely static, especially when set beside the structural daring already emerging in Macbeth. Performed in the original keys and including some restored material, the opera offered a glimpse into Bellini’s ideal soundworld: bright voices in high tessitura, floated legato lines and ornamentation shaped with an eye to historical sources rather than inherited convention. Divided musical direction returned here in full, with Elisa Citterio leading from the concertmaster’s chair and Will Crutchfield guiding pacing and dramatic inflection from the keyboard. The orchestra, on period instruments, played with a soft-grained, chamber-like clarity – lighter in articulation than in Macbeth, and better suited to Bellini’s long phrases and transparent textures. The balance between strings and winds was particularly well maintained, with only occasional hesitations or slips in intonation – expected on historical instruments – adding to the music’s airy fragility. Multiple dialogues between singers and solo winds – such as in ‘Come per me sereno’, where Amina’s phrases are answered by the flute – were exquisitely shaped, allowing ornamented lines to float and respond in elegant interplay.
As Amina, Teresa Castillo offered a performance of polished technique and poised musicality. Her voice, while not large, was bright and forward enough to carry with ease, navigating Bellini’s long-breathed lines with control and fluidity. In her opening cavatina, she projected a calm, almost suspended lyricism, supported by unforced phrasing and clean articulation in the upper register. The ornamentation in repeats was generous but never indulgent – crafted to clarify character and line rather than display. She deployed her instrument with a clear sense of proportion and a welcome absence of affectation. ‘Ah! non credea mirarti’ was spun with softness and simplicity, the floated high notes precisely placed and emotionally centered. In the final cabaletta, ‘Ah! non giunge’, she conveyed an infectious sense of joy that brought the evening to a graceful close.
Christopher Bozeka’s Elvino was less consistent. His voice opened up attractively in ensembles, showing a brighter and more resonant quality when supported by others. In solo passages, especially in the upper register, the tone often turned tight and throaty. Still, he approached the role’s demanding vocal range with evident courage, taking on the high tessitura without transposition and managing most of the top notes securely. The phrasing in ‘Prendi, l’anel ti dono’ felt cautious and somewhat rigid, and the aria never quite settled into a natural flow. His physical manner did little to convey Elvino’s jealousy or emotional volatility.
As Lisa, Abigail Raiford made the most of a secondary role, singing with precision and dramatic flair. La sonnambula gives the character limited opportunities, but Teatro Nuovo’s inclusion of her Act II aria allowed Raiford to display both technical assurance and stage presence. Her soprano was bright and well-focused, with a slight edge that suited the character’s jealousy and social ambition. With phrasing marked by bite and intention, Raiford brought comic timing and expressive clarity to Lisa’s increasingly frustrated maneuvers, making her more than just a foil to Amina. If Castillo projected stillness and sincerity, Raiford offered tension and energy – a vivid contrast that added shape and dynamism to the surrounding scenes.
As in Macbeth, the chorus in La sonnambula plays an important role. While in Verdi’s opera it serves as a collective conscience and emotional amplifier for the drama, in Bellini it functions more as a reflection of village life and communal feeling. The Teatro Nuovo chorus, while a tad uneven in Macbeth – particularly in exposed passages that demanded blend and a unified line – fared better in La sonnambula, where the lighter textures and clearer ensemble roles suited their capabilities. Their singing carried greater clarity and warmth, and their placement within the pastoral framework of the opera gave the ensemble scenes a natural ease that was missing in the more demanding Verdi.
The mise-en-scène in both productions relied on static projections – illustrative watercolor renderings of nineteenth-century designs – which, while conceptually respectful of period conventions, often felt decorative rather than dramaturgically engaged. In Macbeth, where atmosphere and psychological tension are integral to the drama, this minimal approach felt particularly undernourished. In La sonnambula, the projections sat more comfortably within the opera’s pastoral world, though they still functioned more as background than as visual storytelling. Costumes in both productions were indistinct and noncommittal, offering little help in shaping character or period. The rendered images served as backdrop to English text projections, but a blank wall – and similarly, more neutral costuming – might have done more to concentrate attention on the music rather than distract from it.
This stripped-down aesthetic is certainly consistent with Teatro Nuovo’s music-first philosophy. For many summers now, the company has offered New York audiences something increasingly rare: opera rooted in historical insight, delivered with care, curiosity and conviction. One can only be grateful for its presence and hopeful that this clear artistic vision will continue to enrich the city’s operatic life.
Edward Sava-Segal
Macbeth
Maestro Concertatore e Direttore – Jakob Lehmann
Maestro del Coro – Derrick Goff
Cast:
Macbeth – Ricardo José Rivera
Lady Macbeth – Iván Ayón Rivas
Banco – Cumhur Görgün
Macduff – Martin Luther Clark
La sonnambula
Primo Violino e Capo d’Orchestra – Elisa Citterio
Maestro al Cembalo – Will Crutchfield
Cast:
Amina – Teresa Castillo
Elvino – Christoph Bozeka
Rodolfo – Owen Philippson
Lisa – Abigail Raiford
Production for both:
Production Stage manager – Shelby Rose Marquardt
Stage manager – Brenna Skinnon DiNapoli
Great review.
Loved both operas. We are so much the richer for Teatro Nuovo’s vision.