From the House of the Dead Janáček
Archived: 2017/2018Overview
This compelling collage of stories follows different inmates as they recount why they ended up in a claustrophobic Siberian prison.
During a time of political oppression, each individual tale in this production by David Pountney explores the extremes a person will go to, to right a wrong. A glimmer of hope takes the form of a great eagle that the prisoners painstakingly nurse back to health, a symbol of Russia but also of freedom itself.
The Stage… a breathtaking combination of rawness and gentleness
The TelegraphTomáš Hanus, a native of Janáček’s home town Brno, must have the truth of this opera in his blood and bones, if you are serious about opera, it’s unmissable.
Janáček based both the music and the libretto on the semi-autobiographical recollections of Russian writer Dostoyevsky, who himself only survived the firing squad as a result of a last minute reprieve from the Tsar.
On stage we’re following the story of a number of characters through an ensemble cast and chorus, but the true protagonist is the WNO Orchestra, conducted by WNO’s new Music Director Tomáš Hanus.
Co-production with Scottish Opera
Supported by WNO Friends
The Russian Revolution Season is supported by WNO Partners
Good to know
Sung in English with surtitles in English