After conjuring up a wonderfully grotesque production of Dmitri Shostakovich's youth opera The Nose, Barrie Kosky now turns his attention to the Russian composer's far more radical opera: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk - a dark tale of sex, violence and one of the most exciting female characters in opera history!
Young Katerina is richly married and yet deadly unhappy. Full of longing for love and joy in life, she finds herself in a prison of dreary boredom - neglected by her impotent husband and humiliated by her cruel father-in-law. In her loneliness, Katerina throws herself into a passionate affair with the daredevil womanizer Sergei. However, what begins as an erotic adventure soon develops into a gruesome series of murders ...
With his Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, premiered in 1934, Dmitri Shostakovich addressed absolutely taboo subjects at the time. Sexual acts and murderous machinations are exposed with an orgy of sound that is as erotic as it is brutal. As if that were not provocation enough, the composer also sympathizes with his anti-heroine at all times: despite all the acts of violence, Katerina is unlikely to leave anyone's heart untouched.
The Shostakovich Year 2025 will be extended into a Shostakovich season at the Komische Oper Berlin: After the chamber concert Trio at the beginning of the season introduces his music, the opera double bill The Nose and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk can be experienced on the main stage - both in the inimitable direction of Barrie Kosky.
Premiere January 31
Further performances: February 6, 8, 24 and 26, March 1, 7 and 14, 2026
