Milan’s iconic Teatro alla Scala launched its gala season on March 10, 2024, featuring Dmitry Shostakovich’s opera “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.” This marks the second consecutive year the renowned opera house has opened its season with a Russian work following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While last year’s premiere prompted protests against the celebration of Russian culture, this year’s event included a flash mob advocating for peace.
Music director Riccardo Chailly conducted the performance, which attracted notable figures from various sectors, including culture, business, and politics. Shostakovich’s 1934 opera delves into the harsh realities faced by women in Stalin’s Soviet Union and was famously blacklisted shortly after a performance witnessed by Stalin himself in 1936.
The Italian liberal party, +Europa, organized a demonstration outside the theater to “draw attention to the defense of liberty and European democracy, threatened today by Putin’s Russia, and to support the Ukrainian people.” The party emphasized that the opera illustrates the abuse of power and the importance of personal resistance. Security concerns led authorities to relocate the protest from the square in front of La Scala to a site behind City Hall.
Chailly has been collaborating with Russian director Vasily Barkhatov on this production for approximately two years. The previous season featured Shostakovich’s “Boris Godunov,” attended by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, both of whom advocated for separating Russian culture from its political landscape. Last year, protests from the Ukrainian community criticized the focus on Russian culture amidst ongoing conflict. No separate protests were announced this year from the Ukrainian community.
Chailly described the staging of “Lady Macbeth” at La Scala as “a must,” expressing the opera’s long-neglected importance. “It is an opera that has long suffered, and needs to make up for lost time,” he stated during a press conference.
The theater’s new general manager, Fortunato Ortombina, defended the decision to present both Shostakovich’s work and Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov.” He emphasized that “music is fundamentally superior to any ideological conflict,” noting that Shostakovich’s legacy holds significant authority over the Russian populace that transcends the current political landscape.
American soprano Sara Jakubiak made her La Scala debut in the title role of Katerina. Her character’s struggle against severe repression leads her to commit murder, resulting in her imprisonment in Siberia. Jakubiak has previously performed this role in Barcelona, remarking on the challenges, including singing “47 high B flats in one night.”
At a recent press event, Chailly humorously commented on his demanding approach to directing Jakubiak. She acknowledged their shared commitment to the integrity of the music and text, stating, “Whenever I prepare a role, it’s always the text and the music and the text and the rhythms.”
Barkhatov, who has gained recognition for his international work, described the choice of “Lady Macbeth” as “very brave and exciting.” His staging reimagines the opera in a 1950s cosmopolitan Russian city, reflecting the end of Stalin’s regime instead of the original 19th-century rural setting. For Barkhatov, the story’s tragic elements highlight personal struggles rather than political narratives.
Much of the opera unfolds in a period Art Deco restaurant, featuring a rotating balustrade that transitions between a kitchen, a basement, and an interrogation office. Despite the opera’s tragic storyline, Barkhatov characterized the narrative as “a weird … breakthrough to happiness and freedom,” while acknowledging that many face dire consequences in their pursuit of such ideals.
The gala season opener at Teatro alla Scala not only showcases a significant cultural work but also serves as a platform for dialogue surrounding freedom, art, and political expression in the current global climate.
