LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK | DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
VITALI ALEKSEENOK, CONDUCTOR | ELISABETH STÖPPLER, DIRECTOR | DEUTSCHE OPER AM RHEIN
📅 Streaming from March 28, 2025, at 19:00 CET (GMT+1)
📍 Watch on Operavision
🔹 Free streaming
🔹 Available until September 28, 2025, at 12:00 CET
🔹 Recorded on February 26, 2025
Dmitri Shostakovich composed Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at just 26 years old, and despite the brutal trajectory of its central character, he infused the opera with surprising empathy. In this production from Deutsche Oper am Rhein, director Elisabeth Stöppler revisits a character shaped by oppressive circumstances and an escalating desire for self-determination.
Katerina Ismailova is trapped in a loveless marriage and a stifling household ruled by her authoritarian father-in-law. When Sergey, a new worker, arrives, she begins a passionate affair that quickly leads to a series of violent acts. What follows is a portrait of a woman pushed to the edge in a world dominated by cruelty and control.
Shostakovich’s music blends tragic intensity with biting satire, grotesque scenes, and stark realism, making Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk one of the most powerful operas of the 20th century. Conducted by Vitali Alekseenok, this performance features Izabela Matula in the title role, alongside the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra and the Chorus of Deutsche Oper am Rhein.
OVERVIEW
Katerina Ismailova is wealthily married and lonely, her husband impotent and her father-in-law a tyrant. Trapped in a world ruled by cruelty and oppression, she throws herself into a passionate affair with a young worker, Sergey. As her desire for freedom grows more radical, she resorts to murder, setting off a chain of irreversible events.
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