Even today, Macbeth too often fails to win the critical respect lavished on Verdi's two later and more finished Shakespeare operas. But neither does it quite hold a place in the public's affection that is granted to the other peaks of his early and middle period output. Admittedly, without Boito as librettist, Macbeth is a more pragmatic and less ambitious opera than Otello or Falstaff, while the 1865 revision we normally hear is an occasionally clunky reworking of the searingly original 1847 version.

But Macbeth is still a compelling piece of music theatre and, above all, a terrific Verdian singing evening, especially for the two main protagonists and the chorus. Phyllida Lloyd's intelligent but uncomplicated production, receiving its first revival since its 2002 premiere, understands these priorities, putting her ideas at the service of the work rather than the other way round, as David Pountney did at ENO a generation ago.

Yakov Kreizberg conducts at a cracking pace that suits the piece, but he does the business rather than allowing the opera to take flight. The ensembles, one of the chief glories of the work, were a highlight. In the secondary roles the Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja was startlingly fine as Macduff - a bel canto star in the making perhaps - and the American bass John Relyea made a direct and exciting impact.

But the keys to Macbeth are the two corrupted principals. Both were very fine. Thomas Hampson rose to the heights as the world closed in on Macbeth, but not for the first time he gave me the impression of being a baritone who has everything except something. His inexhaustible vocal energy and outstanding technique are bankable guarantees of an evening of high-quality singing, yet Hampson does not elicit the compassion that the great Macbeths, Shakespearean and Verdian, should do. Violeta Urmana, by contrast, managed to make even Lady Macbeth's disintegration seem sympathetic; it was a treat to hear such technically outstanding Verdian singing. A significant artist in a revival Covent Garden can be proud of.

· In rep until March 4. Box office: 020-7304 4000.