Dmitri Shostakovich - Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District (Andris Nelsons)

Information

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

• Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District, Op. 29

Kristīne Opolais

Brenden Gunnell

Gunther Groissbock

Peter Hoare

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Andris Nelsons, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

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Deutsche Grammophon releases this stunning recording of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District, Op. 29, featuring soloists Kristine Opolais, Brenden Gunnell, Günther Groissböck, Peter Hoare, backed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andris Nelsons. The recording comes as part of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons' Shostakovich album, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death in 1975.

Since his death, Shostakovich’s stature has only continued to grow and he is now recognized as one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. Moreover, his relationship to the Soviet regime continues to fascinate. Was he a loyal servant or an embittered closet-dissident?  For Nelsons, who experienced the Soviet system firsthand growing up in Latvia and who has spent much of his career studying and conducting Shostakovich’s music, these questions are irrelevant: “The greatness of his music lies beyond politics. It speaks to people whether they know the times he lived in or not,” says Nelsons.