Keri-Lynn Wilson Leads a Met Revival of Shostakovich’s Searing Drama Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Svetlana Sozdateleva makes her Met debut as the murderous Katerina Ismailova, opposite Brandon Jovanovich as Sergei

        New York, NY (September 21, 2022)—Maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson, following a triumphant tour leading the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra last summer, makes her Metropolitan Opera debut conducting Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk for six performances beginning September 29.

      Russian soprano Svetlana Sozdateleva, appearing for the first time at the Met, takes on the role Katerina Ismailova, whose forbidden romance leads to murder and devastation in this thrilling work. Sozdateleva has performed the role at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Norwegian National Opera, Finnish National Opera, Moscow’s Helikon Opera, and Teatro Comunale di Bologna.

       American tenor Brandon Jovanovich sings the role of Sergei, Katerina’s lover, in this revival of Graham Vick’s 1994 production, which also stars tenor Nikolai Schukoff as Zinovy Ismailov, Katerina’s ineffectual husband, and bass-baritone John Relyea as Boris, her brutal father-in-law. Based on a novella by Nikolai Leskov, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is an undisputed masterpiece of the last century, a bleak, existential drama rich in satire but also sharply focused as a narrative. The opera centers on Katerina Ismailova, a woman in rural Russia who is driven by the crushing ennui of daily life and social degradation to adultery and murder.

       Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk was an immediate success in the Soviet Union and abroad but fell out of favor after Stalin attended a performance. His displeasure was reflected in a devastating review in 1936 that left Shostakovich terrified. Only in 1970 was Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk rehabilitated, and it has since reclaimed its place in the operatic repertoire.

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk Worldwide Broadcasts on Radio and Online

       The September 29 and October 12 performances of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk will be broadcast live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM Channel 355. A performance from fall 2022 will also be broadcast over the Toll Brothers–Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network on February 25, 2023.

       Audio from the October 12 performance will be streamed for free live on the Met’s website, metopera.org.

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