Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District

Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov (1831–1895) — a remarkable Russian writer, a master of words, vividly depicting the everyday life, manners, and moods of all classes of Russia in the second half of the 19th century. Listeners are offered a stage production based on his famous novella “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.”

The main heroine, Katerina Izmailova, 24 years old, is married to a wealthy merchant. Her elderly husband is constantly away on trips; there are no children, and nothing to occupy her. Boredom. But then “light appears through the window”: a young clerk, Sergei. For his sake, Katerina is ready for anything. Her first victim is her father-in-law, who learns about the criminal affair of his daughter-in-law. Then comes Katerina’s husband, whom her lovers kill together; after that — his young relative, who had a right to inherit. The outcome is only to be expected: prison and hard labor. But even here, the chain of betrayals and murders does not stop…