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Milan's La Scala Premieres Shostakovich Amid Peace Protests

12/7/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Milan's Teatro alla Scala premiered Dmitry Shostakovich’s opera “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” on December 4, continuing the trend of Russian operas opening the season amid tensions from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Music director Riccardo Chailly conducted the performance, which featured American soprano Sara Jakubiak in her La Scala debut.
The Italian liberal party +Europa organized a peace demonstration outside the theater, highlighting the opera's themes of resistance against oppression.
Director Barkhatov set the opera in the 1950s, focusing on personal tragedy rather than a political narrative related to Stalin's regime.

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Story summary

Milan's Teatro alla Scala premiered Dmitry Shostakovich’s opera “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” on December 4, continuing the trend of Russian operas opening the season amid tensions from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Music director Riccardo Chailly conducted the performance, which featured American soprano Sara Jakubiak in her La Scala debut.
The Italian liberal party +Europa organized a peace demonstration outside the theater, highlighting the opera's themes of resistance against oppression.
Director Barkhatov set the opera in the 1950s, focusing on personal tragedy rather than a political narrative related to Stalin's regime.