A Lady Macbeth of the District of Mcensk

A Lady Macbeth of the District of Mcensk (2025)

Music

On the 50th anniversary of Shostakovich’s 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 – which was intended to be the first part of a trilogy on women’s condition in Russia – enjoyed great success at home and abroad. Stalin attended a performance in Moscow in 1936; two days later, the famous denunciation titled “Chaos Instead of Music” 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.

Director: Arnalda Canali

Casts

	Sara Jakubiak as Katerina L’vovna Izmajlova
	Alexander Roslavets as Boris Timofeevič Izmailov
	Yevgeny Akimov as Zinovij Borisovič Izmailov
	Najmiddin Mavlyanov as Sergej
	Alexander Kravets as Seedy Lout
	Chao Liu as Millhand
	Valery Gilmanov as Priest
	Jiří Rajniš as Yard Keeper
	Ivan Shcherbatykh as Foreman
	Oleg Budaratskiy as Police Seargeant
	Riccardo Chailly as

Crew