Dmitri Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1934) at the BBC Proms on this Monday was a truly electrifying experience, with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under John Storgårds delivering a thrilling performance, earning every minute of its over two-and-a-half-hour performance. The orchestral score, especially the strings, captured the unsettling intensity of the opera’s dark and at times absurd narrative. Tender moments were set against piercing dissonance, the strings heightening the suspense and terror throughout. And for a telling tragedy, there was a fair amount of laughter too!

Based on the 1865 novella by Nikolai Leskov, the opera tells the story of a lonely woman in 19th-century Russia who falls in love with one of her husband’s workers and is driven to murder. Shostakovich’s music expertly evokes the story’s mystery and horror, with unexpected shifts in mood keeping the audience on edge — while satire is never too far from his pen. The score’s complex orchestration mirrors the twisted psychology of the characters, amplifying the sense of dread — while, at the same time, lampooning the very horror it was trying to showcase. With a libretto jointly written by Alexander Preys and the Shostakovich himself, one minute we were on the edge of our seats, and the next we were laughing at a pair of lovers wrestling or an old man singing about how he might take his daughter-in-law to bed.

Beyond the score (which must take the final curtain call), Amanda Majeski’s portrayal of Katerina was the highlight. Her voice was both powerful and fragile, capturing the character’s inner conflict and descent into madness.

In all, this performance of Lady Macbeth was a triumph. The combination of Shostakovich’s haunting score and the grand, yet intimate, setting of the Royal Albert Hall made for a truly unforgettable evening.

Tickets for all 72 Proms are available from just £8 on the Royal Albert Hall’s BBC Proms 2025 website.