A Lady Macbeth of the District of Mcensk
Synopsis
On the 50th anniversary of Shostakovichâs death, La Scala opens the Season with his masterpiece Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, based on the novella by Nikolai Leskov. After its premiere in St. Petersburg, the opera â which was intended to be the first part of a trilogy on womenâs condition in Russia â enjoyed great success at home and abroad. Stalin attended a performance in Moscow in 1936; two days later, the famous denunciation titled âChaos Instead of Musicâ appeared in Pravda, through which the regime blacklisted the opera and its composer. Years later, Shostakovich prepared a new version that was staged in Moscow in 1963 under the title Katerina Izmailova, after Superintendent Ghiringhelli had unsuccessfully tried to secure its premiere for La Scala. Today, the theatre presents the original 1934 version, conducted by M° Chailly and the debut of director Barkhatov.
Where to watch
Not currently available to stream in United States.
Top cast
Sara Jakubiak
Katerina Lâvovna Izmajlova
Alexander Roslavets
Boris TimofeeviÄ Izmailov
Yevgeny Akimov
Zinovij BorisoviÄ Izmailov
Najmiddin Mavlyanov
Sergej
Alexander Kravets
Seedy Lout
Chao Liu
Millhand
Valery Gilmanov
Priest
JiĹĂ RajniĹĄ
Yard Keeper
Ivan Shcherbatykh
Foreman
Oleg Budaratskiy
Police Seargeant