Ernest Bloch had large shoes to fill when adapting Shakespeare's "Scottish Play" into an opera. He is aided by a clear point of view about Shakespeare's play, as well as a twentieth-century musical language influenced in part by contemporary ideas circulating among playwrights and, crucially, the emerging field of psychotherapy. The result is a work that leans into the psychological inner lives of its main characters, creating a distinct adaptation that avoids comparisons with Verdi's masterpiece.

Nicola Rossi-Lemeni offers a brooding account of the title role. The part gives Rossi-Lemeni ample opportunity to display his oversized baritone without imposing the same vocal demands as Verdi's version. Bloch's Lady Macbeth eschews vocal pyrotechnics in favor of a vocal approach closer to Richard Strauss, making Inge Borkh a perfect fit. The recording's sound quality beautifully captures Bloch's murky yet detailed orchestral palette.