Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Libretto A Preis and D Shostakovich

After the short story by Nikolai Leskov

English version based on the translation by David Pountney

Conductor Alpesh Chauhan

Director Graham Vick

Design Block9

Movement Director Ron Howell

Lighting Design Giuseppe Di Iorio

Chorus Master Jonathan Laird

Birmingham Opera Company Chorus and Actors

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

STORY

The wife has married for money.

She and her husband are tyrannised by the Father in Law bitter that they have not bred him a grandchild.

When the husband leaves on business the wife takes a lover - a new worker. The Father in Law finds out and whips the lover to the brink of death. The wife poisons her father in law. Determined to make her new found happiness last she kills the husband, hides the body and marries the lover.

The police, unhappy at not being invited to the wedding crash the party and find the body.

In prison, she finds out exactly who she has married.

CAST

The Wife Chrystal E Williams	The Priest James Ioelu
The Father in Law Eric Greene	The Father in Law's Ghost Eric Greene
The Husband Joshua Stewart	The Chief of Police Quentin Hayes
The Lover Brenden Gunnell	The Arresting Officer Themba Mvula
The Engineer Themba Mvula	The Socialist Edward Harrisson
The Driver Dominick Felix	The Drunken Guest Dominick Felix
The Maid Grace Nyandoro	The Prison Guards Themba Mvula, James Ioelu
The Seedy Lout James Kryshak	The Prisoner Eric Greene
The Porter Andrew Clarke	The Pole Dancer Lilly Papaioannou
The Steward James Ioelu	The Other Woman Grace Nyandoro
The Three Foremen Andrew Clarke, Dominick Felix, Jack Sandison

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