In 2010, William Kentridge’s staging of Shostakovich’s opera The Nose was one of the most acclaimed production of recent Metropolitan Opera seasons. This year, the production was revived to similar acclaim.
The Nose takes place during the course of one day, in which Kovalyov wakes up one morning only to find that his nose is missing. The circumstances in which his nose is lost are “enshrouded in mist” though the slip of his barber’s razor could be to blame. Kovalyov’s nose swells to human scale, earning the rank of state councilor as Kovalyov searches in vain for his missing nose.
Baritone Paulo Szot played the role of Kovalyov, reprising the role from the 2010 premier in which he made his Metropolitan Opera Debut. A Tony Award winning actor (Best Actor 2008, South Pacific), Szot performed the role masterfully bringing a physical and vocal grandeur to a role which offers little opportunity for glamorous vocal display.
Featuring about 30 singers in 70 roles, the opera was the fast paced “peacocking” of a 22 year old Shostakovich demonstrating his phenomenal ability as a composer. Particularly notable within the ensemble was soprano Ying Fang, in her Met debut, as Podtochina’s Daughter and as the Female Voice in the cathedral.
The most interesting aspect of this production was the manner in which the machine of opera was clearly displayed to the audience. The movements of the sets were not hidden by the lowering of a curtain or dimming of the lights, rather, highlighted as the actors actively participated in the scene changes. Images of Shostakovich playing the piano were projected onto the set during instrumental interludes, reminding the observer of the process of composition which Shostakovich used during the creation of The Nose.
Performed without an intermission, The Nose has a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes. While removing this intermission shortens the length of the performance, the audience seemed drained by the near 2 hours of percussion-heavy orchestration which intimidated Stalin.
Overall, this was an extremely strong production worth attending. The Nose Live in HD will Encore Wednesday October 30 at 6:30.
