Shostakovich – Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District (Jansens) DVD – Vladimir Vaneev, Ludovít Ludha

Mariss Jansons conducts the Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in this performance of Shostakovich’s classic opera recorded live at the Het Musiektheater, Amsterdam in 2006.

Shostakovich’s musically brilliant and ingeniously panoramic opera about love, lust, power and oppression is famously well played by the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Mariss Jansons in this authoritative production. Stage Director Martin Kusej builds on formidable musical strengths to forge a relentless drama that explores with emotional conviction the shadowy, layered boundaries between victims and perpetrators. First-rate protagonist Eva-Maria Westbroek is phenomenal in her gripping interpretation of Katerina, compelling the entire cast, including the choir, to almost unbearable realism in their portray of timeless human weakness.