Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Shostakovich’s opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is one of the twentieth century’s masterpieces, acclaimed at its premiere in 1934 but then banned two years later by Stalin. It tells a tragic tale of adultery and murder as the bored and lonely heroine Katerina, sung by Eva-Maria Westbroek, falls in love with one of her husband’s workers, the manipulative Sergey, Brandon Jovanovich. Their treachery leads to a gruesome series of murders – and ultimately to her own devastating end. Antonio Pappano leads the Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House.