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.

A stage performance of the Shostakovich opera, filmed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

At first glance, the title of Shostakovich’s opera seems to speak for itself: Katherina, neglected and unhappy in her marriage, commits the most heinous crime just like the Shakespearian Lady Macbeth. But Nikolai Leskov’s short novel, which portrays Katherina as a monster, was only the starting point for Shostakovich to elicit understanding for an oppressed woman whose pursuit for self-determination is suppressed by society. Through combining satiric, grotesque and tragic elements in his music, Shostakovich succeeds in striking the balance between repulsion at Katherina’s immoral acts and sympathy for her. Violence, eroticism and the paralysing boredom of Russian society in the 19th century are the founding elements of this composition. The choir and orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino conducted by James Conlon accompany tremendous soloists such as Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet, Vladimir Vaneev and Vsevolod Grivnov in the original language in this live recording.

The Shatalov family plays an important role in the life of their neighborhood. The head of the family, Alyona, runs a management company that serves the whole quarter. Her husband Mikhail is a doctor at the district polyclinic, and their 20—year-old son Artyom serves as a district police officer. Every day, this magnificent family solves the everyday and everyday problems of the residents of their area, constantly getting into funny and curious situations. But one day the Shatalovs' personal problems grow to the scale of a domestic disaster.

Spirited American heiress Isabel Archer travels to Europe, where she navigates a complex web of relationships, ultimately committing to a fateful marriage to the charming but cruel Gilbert Osmond. This leads to profound disappointment and a tragic realization of her own choices.

An 18th century noblewoman finds herself involved in various adventures.

Following one couple's spine-chilling quest for power, this performance was captured during its original run at the Almeida Theatre in 2021, with the production later being nominated for Best Revival at the Olivier Awards. A little later than now, in the ruins of a theatre, three witches make a prophecy. A warrior and his wife enter the darkness. A war begins.

Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

A con woman working the Atlantic City hotels targets a visiting businessman from Alabama.

Struggling with dementia, an elderly lady has only her little dog to remind her what to do to get through the day.