EN
DE
IT
FR
ES
RU
JP
RO
© Gran Teatre del Liceu
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
Order tickets
September 2024  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
Opera in four acts
Libretto by Aleksandr Preis and Dmitri Shostakovich based on the Nikolai Leskov homonymous text.
Shostakovich's initial idea was to write a trilogy of operas about the tragic fates of Russian women over the centuries; he only succeeded in writing one: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.
A masterpiece of the 20th century, it is a bleak, existential drama based on a story by Nikolai Leskov from 1865, a time when Russian literature was making its way into the world through authors such as Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. The score was a critical success and immediately became popular in the Soviet Union, but fell out of favour dramatically after Stalin attended one of the performances in Moscow in 1936. An anonymous article in "Pravda" denouncing the play caused Shostakovich to fear for his life.
It did not return to the stage until 1970. Since that time, it has regained its rightful place.
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk is a piece that, both musically and narratively, is very cinematic, while politically it is a bizarre aesthetic anomaly during Stalinism. Aside from the glorification of the proletariat to the taste of the ideologists of the time, this is a real "thriller". The story takes place deep in the Russian countryside in the 19th century (Mtsensk, about 300 km from Moscow, is the region to which criminals have traditionally been banished throughout history).
The main character is Katerina, a merchant's wife who, psychologically wiped out, bored with her husband and subjected to the tyranny of her father-in-law, is seduced by a depraved worker in the family factory, and ends up murdering first her father-in-law and then her husband, believing that by doing so she can achieve freedom. The new couple live together until a peasant accidentally discovers the crime, and reports it to the corrupt police of the time. The story ends with the murderous couple's deportation to Siberia. The pursuit of a dream that is short-lived: betrayed in the poverty of the escape that ends tragically.
In Àlex Ollé's new production, Katerina, imprisoned in her bedroom, represents the ideal of a woman turned into a metaphor for an unattainable future of someone who is supposed to give life, but ends up being the source of death. A woman subjected to the traditional patriarchal system and trapped in an immutable family structure with female sexuality reduced to childbearing. We are talking, then, of an erotic rebellion as the first step in the search for a dream: individual freedom against the tyranny of the family.
But this carnal passion is confused with love, love with surrender, surrender with submission and, finally, submission with sacrifice and the acceptance of suffering. Katerina is alone! With her wounded gaze and an identity to build, she shows herself through violence; killing is the only way out!
- World premiere: 22/01/1934 at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in Leningrad.
- Barcelona premiere: 13/05/2002 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
- Last Liceu performance: 26/05/2002.
- Total number of Liceu performances: 9
Program and cast
Approximate running time - 2h 30min
BORIS ISMAILOV: Alexei Botnarciuc
ZINOVI ISMAILOV: Daniel Kirch
KATERINA ISMAILOVA: Sara Jakubiak | September 25 & 28, October 1, 3 & 6
KATERINA ISMAILOVA: Ángeles Blancas | September 27, October 5 & 7
SERGUEI: Pavel Černoch | September 25 & 28, October 1, 3 & 6
SERGUEI: Ladislav Elgr | September 27, October 5 & 7
AXINIA: Núria Vilà
WORKMAN: David Alegret
ADMINISTRADOR: Javier Agudo
PORTER: Luis López Navarro
FIRST WORKMAN: Albert Casals
SECOND WORKMAN: Facundo Muñoz
THIRD WORKMAN: Marc Sala
PRIEST / POPE: Goran Juric
SERGEANT: Scott Wilde
POLICEMAN: Jeroboám Tejera
SONIETKA: Mireia Pintó
OLD CONVICT: Paata Burchuladze
GHOST OF BORIS: Alejandro López
WEDDING GUEST: José Manuel Montero
STAGE DIRECTOR: Àlex Ollé
SET DESIGN: Alfons Flores
COSTUME DESIGN: Lluc Castells
LIGHTING: Urs Schönebaum
PRODUCTION: Gran Teatre del Liceu
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU
CHORUS OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU (PABLO ASSANTE, CONDUCTOR)
CONDUCTOR: Josep Pons
Photo gallery
© Gran Teatre del Liceu
© Gran Teatre del Liceu
© Gran Teatre del Liceu
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Barcelona's opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, was founded on the Rambla in 1847 and has continued over the years to fulfil its role as a culture and arts centre and one of the symbols of the city.
Today it is publicly-owned (by the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council and the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte) and administered by the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu which, in addition to the aforementioned bodies, incorporates the Patronage Council and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu (the old society of owners).
Origins: From 1837 to 1847
The Liceu evolved out of the Sociedad Dramática de Aficionados (Society of theatre-lovers) set up in 1837 at the instigation of Manuel Gibert in the former convent of Montsió by members of the National Militia, an organization of armed citizens with liberal leanings.
Barcelona's economy and population were growing fast at the time and the city needed a music conservatory. This led to the conversion of the Sociedad Dramática into the Liceo Filármonico Dramático Barcelonés de S.M. la Reina Isabel II (Barcelona Dramatic and Philharmonic Lyceum of HM Queen Isabel II). In addition to its theatrical activities, the new organization cultivated Italian-style singing and music.
The building on the Rambla
The original building was solemnly opened on 4 April 1847. The plans had been drawn up by Miquel Garriga i Roca, subsequently assisted by Josep Oriol Mestres. The project was funded by selling shares, which meant that many of the boxes and seats were to be privately owned. The shareholders formed the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu, known as the “Societat de Propietaris” (Society of Owners), which was in sole charge of running the Gran Teatre del Liceu from 1855 onwards, after it was legally separated from the Conservatori del Gran Teatre del Liceu.
The theatre was operated by impresarios who were given a concession to stage a specific number of productions in exchange for the proceeds from the sale of tickets not reserved for the Societat itself. This system was to endure until 1980.
The creation of the Consortium
By the last quarter of the 20th century this management system was no longer viable. In 1980, to avert the danger of the disappearance of an institution of such worldwide cultural renown, the Generalitat Catalonia's first government in modern times – set up a consortium, the Consorci del Gran Teatre del Liceu, which also incorporated Barcelona City Council and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu. Barcelona Provincial Council joined the Consortium in 1985, followed by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 1986. From then on the Consortium took over operation of the theatre.
Related events
Classic Concerts in Barcelona
Barcelona - The Palau de la Música Catalana
Performances: Fr 27 Dec 2024,
Performances: Fr 27 Dec 2024,