Macbeth – The Met Opera (12A)

This screening presents Dmitri Shostakovich's opera *Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk*, a gripping work that blends expressionism and verismo. Based on Nikolai Leskov's novella, it tells the story of Katerina Izmailova, a lonely 19th-century Russian woman whose affair with a worker leads to a series of murders.

The opera was first performed in 1934 and initially enjoyed success both in the Soviet Union and abroad, with nearly 200 performances before being denounced in the infamous Pravda article "Muddle Instead of Music." After decades of suppression, the original version returned to international stages in the 21st century, offering audiences a chance to experience Shostakovich's powerful, uncensored score.