Description

The opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, one of the most vibrant and important phenomena in Russian music culture of the 20th century, occupies a special place in Dmitri Shostakovich’s creative work. The most tragic pages of his life and creative journey are associated with this composition. The fate of the opera proved similar to the fate of many of the composer’s fellow countrymen: at the height of its glory and phenomenal success, it was suddenly removed from the repertoire and doomed to long years of oblivion.
The opera did not return to the stage of Russian theatres until a quarter of a century later, but this time in its second edition, after the author revised it. Nowadays it arouses an ever-growing interest. Nevertheless, the score of the first edition of the opera has never been published, and the need for its publication is becoming increasingly obvious with each passing year. We hope to correct this deficiency by publishing the score of the first edition of the opera for the first time.