Shostakovitch’s Lady Macbeth conquers La Scala on opening night

Sara Jakubiak (Katerina) and Najmiddin Mavlyanov (Sergey)

Evgeny Akimov (Zinovy), Alexander Roslavets (Boris) and Sara Jakubiak (Katerina)

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Sara Jakubiak (Katerina) and Oleg Budaratskiy (Police Inspector)

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

By Laura Servidei, 08 December 2025

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“this censorship mirrors, in a different zeitgeist, exactly what Stalin had sought to do”

Reviewed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan on 7 December 2025

Shostakovich, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District

Teatro alla Scala

Riccardo Chailly, Conductor

Vasily Barkhatov, Director

Zinovy Margolin, Set Designer

Olga Shaishmelashvili, Costume Designer

Alexander Sivaev, Lighting Designer

Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala

Coro del Teatro alla Scala

Alexander Roslavets, Boris Timofeyevich Izmailov

Sara Jakubiak, Katerina Lvovna Izmailova

Najmiddin Mavlyanov, Sergey

Evgeny Akimov, Zinoviy Borisovich Izmailov

Ekaterina Sannikova, Aksinya

Goderdzi Janelidze, Old Convict

Elena Maximova, Sonyetka

Alexander Kravets, Tattered peasant

Vasyl Solodkyy, Schoolmaster

Jiří Rajniš, Office Manager

Oleg Budaratskiy, Police inspector

Huanhong Livio Li, Policeman

Valery Gilmanov, Priest

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Laura Servidei

Mathematician, science nerd, translator of popular science books, obsessed opera fan since the teen years. Day job: business analyst in a software house developing systems for the financial industry. Amateur choral singer. Main musical interests: baroque music and Italian opera. Originally from Italy, currently based in Sweden. I make a mean eggplant parmesan.

Raw truth, refined art: Shostakovitch’s Lady Macbeth conquers La Scala on opening night