Overview
- Rai1 and RaiPlay carry the gala live from 5:45 p.m. CET with curtain at 6:00, with the stream remaining on demand for 15 days.
- Riccardo Chailly leads the orchestra for his twelfth season opener as Vasily Barkhatov unveils a cinematic, metropolitan staging with soprano Sara Jakubiak as Katerina.
- The performance is sold out for about 2,000 spectators, with revenue near €3 million, and notable guests expected while President Sergio Mattarella is absent.
- Rai’s production is in 4K using ten high‑definition cameras, 45 pit and stage microphones and 15 radio mics for soloists, plus audio description for blind or visually impaired viewers.
- The work’s Soviet‑era denunciation in Pravda after Stalin attended remains central context, as recent under‑30 preview audiences reported they were not disturbed by the on‑stage violence.