Opera

The Nose

Dmitri Schostakowitsch

Based on the novella of the same name by Nikolai Gogol, »The Nose« displays the early genius of the 22-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich. While Gogol’s work satirized tsarist officialdom, the opera, which premiered in 1930, places the spotlight on an entire society when an opportunistic official finds himself ensnared by petty bureaucracy, a nose becomes a media sensation and the police keep a close watch on their citizens.

Featuring dance tunes, balalaikas, Russian church music and classical music’s first essay into pure percussion, »The Nose« is no less grotesque than the strange events it narrates: The nose of the collegiate assessor Kovalev has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. Understandably, Kovalev is beside himself –  What is a person without their nose? The vain civil servant turns to the police, then to the press, and descends ever deeper into a grotesque and surreal vortex, in which all sense of normality is lost.

Opera in three acts
Libretto by the composer based on the novella by Nikolai Wassiljewitsch Gogol. German by Helmut Wagner and Karl Heinz Füssl.

Performed in German with German and English supertitles

Premiere
2. July 2022,

No further performances in the current season.

Premiere cast

Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden
 Sinfoniechor Dresden – Extrachor der Semperoper Dresden
 Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden

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Stücktrailer

The Nose

Based on the novella of the same name by Nikolai Gogol, The Nose displays the early genius of the 22-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich. While Gogol’s work satirized tsarist officialdom, the opera, which premiered in 1930, places the spotlight on an entire society when an opportunistic official finds himself ensnared by petty bureaucracy, a nose becomes a media sensation and the police keep a close watch on their citizens. Featuring dance tunes, balalaikas, Russian church music and classical music’s first essay into pure percussion, The Nose is no less grotesque than the strange events it narrates: The nose of the collegiate assessor Kovalev has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. Understandably, Kovalev is beside himself –  What is a person without their nose? The vain civil servant turns to the police, then to the press, and descends ever deeper into a grotesque and surreal vortex, in which all sense of normality is lost.
Making-of

The Nose – Making-of (3)

Making-of

The Nose – Making-of (2)

The Danish baritone Bo Skovhus is an Austrian and Bavarian Kammersänger and was most recently seen at the Semperoper as Don Giovanni, Sixtus Beckmesser, Count Danilo Danilowitsch and Mandryka. For our new production of Dmitri Shostakovich’s The Nose he sings the main character Platon Kusmitsch Kowaljow. In our second making-of, Skovhus talks about the music, the fate of his role, Peter Konwitschny’s staging and Gogol’s text.
Making-of

The Nose – Making-of (1)

Based on the novella of the same name by Nikolai Gogol, The Nose displays the early genius of the 22-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich. With dance tunes, balalaikas, Russian church music and classical music’s first pure percussion piece, The Nose is no less grotesque than the strange events it narrates: The nose of the collegiate assessor Kowaljow has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. Stage and Costume Designer Helmut Brade gives us a few glimpses into how this will look like on our opera stage.
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