Ambitious, unscrupulous, obsessed with power, cruel and sexy: Simon Keenlyside and Liudmyla Monastyrska thrill critics and audiences alike as Macbeth and his Lady in this opulent production. The ensemble's performance, which is artistically convincing in every respect, is supported by Phyllida Lloyd's haunting direction, which remains close to the characters and the catastrophe they themselves have conjured up. The scenery, characterized by cunning and witchcraft, by fate conjured up and blind greed, often makes the actors look like they are in a Gothic fresco, in keeping with the atmosphere. The production, filmed in high definition with TrueSurroundSound, also makes Antonio Pappano's masterful conducting a pleasure beyond the term "live recording".