Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at Oper Leipzig

Pavel Černoch (Sergey) and Kristine Opolais (Katerina)

Dmitry Belosselskiy (Boris)

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Kristine Opolais (Katerina) and Pavel Černoch (Sergey)

Andris Nelsons in the Oper Leipzig pit

Sven Hjörleifsson (Schoolmaster) and chorus

Kristine Opolais (Katerina)

By Mark Pullinger, 26 May 2025

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“in the final nihilistic scene, Opolais held the entire stage in a haunting monologue”

Reviewed at Oper Leipzig, Leipzig on 25 May 2025

Shostakovich, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District

Oper Leipzig

Andris Nelsons, Conductor

Francisco Negrín, Director

Rifail Ajdarpasic, Set Designer

Ariane Isabell Unfried, Costume Designer

Michael Röger, Lighting Designer

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

Oper Leipzig Chorus

Kristine Opolais, Katerina Lvovna Izmailova

Pavel Černoch, Sergey

Dmitry Belosselskiy, Boris Timofeyevich Izmailov

Matthias Stier, Zinoviy Borisovich Izmailov

Nora Steuerwald, Sonyetka

Ivo Stanchev, Priest

Dan Karlström, Tattered peasant

Merit Nath-Göbl, Aksinya

Sven Hjörleifsson, Schoolmaster

Timothy Edlin, Office Manager

Peter Dolinšek, Old Convict

Franz Xaver Schlecht, Police inspector

Vincent Turregano, Policeman

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****1

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A new production of Lohengrin at Oper Leipzig is conceived as an intimate chamber opera and succeeds with brilliant musical performances.

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With an excellent cast and sumptuous orchestral playing, Oper Leipzig delivers a vivid evening of enjoyment.

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Ako Imamura, 2nd July

Despite some weakness in the main singers, the overall level of musical performances was consistently high in Leipzig, with a stark and effective production.

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Ako Imamura, 1st July

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Questionable morels: Lady Macbeth in Leipzig