Name: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
Start: 2022-09-29
End: 2022-09-29
Location: Metropolitan Opera House

Organization

Singer

Tenor

Brandon Jovanovich

Sergei

Stage director

Graham Vick

Set designer

Paul Brown

Costume designer

Lighting designer

Nick Chelton

Choreographer

Ron Howell

Conductor

Keri-Lynn Wilson

Bass

John Relyea

Boris Timofeyevich Izmailov

Nikolai Schukoff

Zinovy Borisovich Izmailov

Contralto

Maria Barakova

Sonyetka

Goran Jurić

Priest

Baritone

Alexey Shishlyaev

Police inspector

Alexander Tsymbalyuk

Old Convict

Soprano

Felicia Moore

Aksinia

Rodell Rosel

Shabby Peasant

Scott Scully

A teacher

Jeongcheol Cha

Mill-worker

Richard Bernstein

Officer

Philip Cokorinos

Tyler Simpson

Steward

Daniel Sumegi

Yard keeper

Dustin Lucas

Coachman

Yohan Yi

Seargeant

Kurt Phinney

First foreman

Patrick Miller

Second foreman

Daniel Clark Smith

Third foreman

Stephen Paynter

Drunken guest

Svetlana Sozdateleva

Ekaterina Lvovna Izmailova

A policeman

Sentry

Irina Rindzuner

Woman Convict

The Metropolitan Opera

English

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

New York City

United States

Metropolitan Opera House

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk: Ledi Makbet Mtsenskogo uezda Shostakovich

Public

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Op. 29

Approved

When soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek and tenor Brandon Jovanovich starred in Shostakovich’s searing Soviet-era satire in 2014, they set the Met stage ablaze, with The New York Times hailing Westbroek’s “vulnerable and wrenching performance” and proclaiming Jovanovich “ideal ... dramatically fearless.” Now, the dynamic pair reunite in Graham Vick’s vivid staging, with Maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson making her Met debut.

World premiere: Maly Opera Theater, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), 1934 | 
One of the undisputed musical masterpieces of the last 100 years, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is a bleak, existential drama that is satirical and critical of society but also retains a sharply focused narrative, with Shostakovich’s thrilling score accentuating each of its dramatic points. Based on an engrossing novella by Nikolai Leskov, the opera maintains its source material’s frenetic pace with propulsive music and a plethora of activity, suggesting that any actions—even of the criminal variety—are preferable to the crushing ennui of conventional life.
 
Creators
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–75), one of the 20th century’s most prominent composers, wrote 15 symphonies and a large quantity of chamber music, as well as compositions in other genres. The composer collaborated with playwright Alexander Preys (1905–42) to create the opera’s libretto, adapting a story by Nikolai Leskov (1831–95), a Russian author and journalist highly respected by many of the towering literary figures of his time. 

Setting
The opera takes place in the Mtsensk District, about 150 miles south of Moscow, and in Siberia, the vast, harsh land in the northeastern part of Russia, to which criminals were traditionally banished throughout the country’s history.

Music
The score of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is dramatic, diverse, and utterly compelling, displaying the composer’s complete mastery and transcendence of familiar musical forms. Despite the jagged feel of the music, melody is not absent—it appears briefly but often vanishes before it is allowed to develop. The main exception to this is the role of Katerina herself. Her forays into prolonged musical expression make her a profound and, within the givens of this dark world, sympathetic character.

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Shostakovich, Thu 29 Sep 2022, From (2022/2022), Directed by Graham Vick,, Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, Metropolitan Opera House, New York City, United States

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Programme, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues