June 20, 2026: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
The 50th anniversary of Dmitri Shostakovich’s death was honored with an original staging of his most infamous opera. La Scala opened their 2025-26 season with the very first, 1934 version of Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. It was this staging that was seen by Stalin in 1936, and this opera that caused the Russian leader to denounce blacklist Shostakovich as an agitator.
The 2025 recording from La Scala featured Alexander Roslavets as Boris Timofeyevich Izmaylov and Sara Jakubik as Katerina Lvovna Izmaylova. Najmiddin Mavlyanov is Sergey and Yevgeny Akimov is Zinovy Borisovich. Riccardo Chailly conducts the La Scala Orchestra & Chorus.
COMPOSER: Dmitri Shostakovich
VENUE: Teatro all Scala, Milan, Italy
CAST:
Boris Timofeyevich Izmaylov Alexander Roslavets
Katerina Lvovna Izmaylova Sara Jakubiak
Sergey Najmiddin Mavlyanov
Shabby Peasant Alexander Kravets
Priest Valery Gilmanov
Zinovy Borisovich Izmaylov Evgeny Akimov
Steward Jiří Rajniš
Chief of Police Oleg Budaratskiy
Aksinya Ekaterina Sannikova
Sonetka Elena Maximova
ENSEMBLE: La Scala Orchestra & Chorus
CONDUCTOR: Riccardo Chailly
Approx. Length: 2 hours, 55 minutes
Sung in Russian