Macbeth

Bloch's only opera had its premiere in Paris in 1910, when the composer was 30. It's a pity that he never wrote another one, because the score shows a great natural talent for the theater. Though the influence of Wagner, Musorgsky & Debussy is obvious, the music has a distinctive, dark sound, both harmonically and orchestrally, which suits the violent, bloody story (closely based on Shakespeare) very well. It's a score of real substance, and the scenes between Macbeth & Lady Macbeth are set with particular psychological subtlety. Overall, I find this one of the most rewarding and fascinating rediscoveries of French-language opera in recent years, and recommend it to anyone with a taste for music drama of this era.
This was the 1st complete recording to be issued: like the 2nd one (on Capriccio), it preserves a live performance, but otherwise the 2 versions are very different. This one stems from a concert conducted expertly by Friedemann Layer, with the excellent Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpellier L.-R., & a generally strong cast headed by Jean-Philippe Lafont & Markella Hatziano. The French is mostly native - a definite plus in this work - & there's a full libretto and good notes (French only, but if you have a copy of the play on hand you should be able to follow the action). Layer makes one big cut, Act II, Scene 2 - the "Lady Macduff scene": this omission is composer-sanctioned, though perhaps regrettable on both dramatic & musical grounds.
The other set comes from the German stage premiere in Dortmund (1998). It's an exciting performance which confirms the music's theatrical power, while slighting some of its subtleties. (It also shows that the piece can work even without a single native speaker in the cast: the French ranges from decently schooled to pretty murky.) Act II, Scene 2 is included, though slightly abridged & with the unfortunate substitution of a tenor for a mezzo-soprano in the "trousers" role of Macduff's Son. There are over a dozen other cuts of varying length, with the result that the playing time is actually slightly shorter than this version. Finally, there is no libretto, only a skimpy synopsis. My recommendation: get this Actes Sud version; then, if you really fall in love with the piece, you may want to hear the Capriccio performance for its raw dramatic energy & the "missing" scene.