Boston and Carnegie share Russian singer dilemma

The Russia bass Ildar Abdrazakov has withdrawn from the Met and proclaimed his loyalty to the Putin war machine.

But the Boston Symphony and Carnegie Hall have just announced him in the roles of Boris Izmailov and Ghost of Boris in their January 2024 production of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, conducted by Andris Nelsons.

Kristine Opolais sings the title role, but the rest of the cast is packed with Russians. For Abdrazakov, it would amount to a Boston debut.

So what happense now?

Tuesday, January 30, 2024, 7 p.m.
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Kristine Opolais, soprano (Katerina Izmailova)
Pavel Černoch, tenor (Sergei)
Sergei Skorokhodov, tenor (Zinovy Izmailov)*
Ildar Abdrazakov, bass (Boris Izmailov and Ghost of Boris)*
Michelle Trainor, soprano (Aksinya)
Matthew DiBattista, tenor (Teacher)
Charles Blandy*, Neil Ferreira, and Yeghishe Manucharyan*, tenors
(Foremen)
Charles Blandy, tenor (Drunken Guest)
Yeghishe Manucharyan, tenor (Coachman)
Andrey Popov, tenor (Shabby Peasant)*
David Kravitz, baritone (Millhand)
Dmytro Kalmuchyn, baritone (Porter)*
Joo Won Kang, baritone (Steward)*
Patrick Guetti, bass (Officer and Sentry)*
Goran Juric, bass (Priest)*
Anatoli Sivko, bass (Chief of Police)*
Sava Vemic, bass (Policeman)*
Tanglewood Festival Chorus,
James Burton, conductor
SHOSTAKOVICH Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk
Sung in Russian with English supertitles