The Nose

Dmitri Shostakovich's (1906-75) satirical 1930 opera +The Nose bears one of the more surrealistic and imaginative premises in the history of the medium; it tells, with great comedic gusto, of a St. Petersburg official whose nose decides to leave his face and pursue a life of its own design. This 1974 production of the work constitutes a historic event, as the very first stage performance of +The Nose in Russia since its premiere 44 years earlier. It stars Eduard Akimov as Kovalyov, Alexander Lomonosov as The Nose, Valery Belykh as Ivan Yakovlevich. The Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Moscow Chamber Opera Theatre lend symphonic accompaniment under the baton of Gennady Rozhdestvensky; Boris Pokrovsky directs for the stage.