Dmitri Shostakovich: The Nose, Op. 15 (1927-28) [by Lewis Saul]

The Nose, Op. 15 (1927-28)

Royal Opera House

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Ingo Meszmacher, cond.

(2:13:27)

The 22-year-old wrote his first opera (although he began others, the only other satisfactorily complete one is Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk [see my post]) a mere decade after the Revolution.

Based on the short story of the same title by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852), this short window of relative artistic freedom in the pre-Stalinist Soviet Union allowed Shostakovich to create such a satiric and grotesque parody of the bureaucracy.

The Gogol (read it here) begins:

“In a certain Russian ministerial department —

But it is perhaps better that I do not mention which department it was. There are in the whole of Russia no persons more sensitive than Government officials. Each of them believes if he is annoyed in any way, that the whole official class is insulted in his person.”

Gerard McBurney:

“The Nose is one of the young Shostakovich’s greatest masterpieces, an electrifying tour de force of vocal acrobatics, wild instrumental colours and theatrical absurdity, all shot through with a blistering mixture of laughter and rage … the result, in Shostakovich’s ruthlessly irreverent hands, is like an operatic version of Charlie Chaplin or Monty Python … despite its magnificently absurd subject and virtuosic music, The Nose is a perfectly practical work and provides a hugely entertaining evening in the theatre.”

Woody Allen borrowed the material for an even sillier take on the whole thing with Sleeper (1973).

This amazing production is in English, with subtitles.

The opera begins at 0:09:23:

The percussion Entr’acte as the people dance around the nose.

The Policemen’s Dance (Galop)

Dance of the Noses (you’ll not want to miss this one!)

Act III: Scene at the Police Station

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