For my first Opera experience, The Nose was an odd choice. It was a no brainer for me because of the involvement of William Kentridge. His direction and set design created a visual experience that would have been incredible without the Opera itself. I say this knowing full well how sacrilegious that sounds, but the artist has been known for his solo performances and animations for many years.
I spent 3 weeks prior to the Nose listening to the music and to some other Opera. I quickly understood how this modern Russian Opera taken from Gogol’s short story of the same name was different from “traditional” Opera. I do enjoy the music but mostly one Act at a time. Two hours of the Nose was a lot for me and my friends, all Opera virgins. Shostakovitch shows off, but really doesn't leave much room for joy for the listener. The story is not really enough to fill out an entire Opera. We loved the sets, the projections and the overall design. There was so much to see it almost didn’t matter that our seats were basically at Yankee Stadium.
The music is just tough. It comes in fits and spurts and rushes to uproarious moments of climax that are somewhat painful. There are laughs, there are small moments of sadness, and there are big moments that fall flat.
I know it sounds like I didn’t enjoy myself but I did! The Nose will be my first Opera, not my last!
