Life with an Idiot (Russian: Жизнь с идиотом, romanized: Zhizn s idiotom) is an opera by the Russian composer Alfred Schnittke to a Russian libretto by Viktor Erofeyev. Written as an allegory of oppression under the Soviet Union,[1] the opera was first performed at Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, on 13 April 1992.
| Life with an Idiot | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Alfred Schnittke | |
| Native title | Жизнь с идиотом |
| Librettist | Viktor Erofeyev |
| Premiere | 13 April 1992 Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam |
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 13 April 1992[2] Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich |
|---|---|---|
| I | baritone | Dale Duesing/Romain Bischoff |
| Wife | soprano | Teresa Ringholz |
| Vova | tenor | Howard Haskin |
| Guard | bass | Leonid Zimnenko |
| Marcel Proust | baritone | Robbin Leggate |
Synopsis
edit- Act 1
- As a punishment for not working hard enough, "I" is forced by the authorities to live with an idiot. He chooses Vova from a lunatic asylum. Vova is only capable of speaking a single word: "Ech".
- Act 2
- At first Vova behaves well but then he suddenly begins to make a nuisance of himself, including tearing up I's wife's copy of the works of Marcel Proust. I and his wife go to live in another room and Vova calms down. I's wife falls in love with Vova and becomes pregnant by him. Then Vova and I turn on the wife. Vova kills her and I becomes an idiot.
Recordings
edit- Life with an Idiot (live recording of premiere cast), Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Rostropovich (Sony)
References
edit- ^ Penguin Guide to Opera on Compact Discs. Penguin. 1993. p. 382.
- ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Life with an Idiot, 13 April 1992". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
Further reading
edit- The Viking Opera Guide, ed. Amanda Holden (Viking, 1993).
- Del Teatro (in Italian).
