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.
