Mariinsky II (New Theatre)

Libretto by Yevgeny Zamyatin, Georgy Ionin, Alexander Preis and the composer after the short story by Nikolai Gogol

SYNOPSIS

ACT I

Scene 1 ... Either in a dream or in reality, the barber Ivan Yakovlevich is doing his hateful job in a drunken stupor...
Scene 2 ... Ivan Yakovlevich and his wife Praskovia are taken aback to find a nose in a bread roll...
Scene 3 ... The panic-stricken barber tries to dispose of the evidence...
Scene 4 ... When he wakes up in the morning, Major Kovalev discovers his nose has disappeared...
   Symphonic interval
Scene 5 ... Inside Kazan Cathedral, Major Kovalev unexpectedly meets his nose and tries to speak to it...

ACT II

Scene 6 ... A newspaper advertisements department: Kovalev tries to submit an advertisement about the disappearance of his nose... Unsuccessfully...
   Symphonic interval
Scene 7 ... Kovalev´s apartment... The major´s footman Ivan is relaxing quietly, and Kovalev´s despair increases...

ACT III

Scene 8 ... A coaching-inn... The district constable is giving instructions to his men to capture the travelling Nose...
... A procession of travellers enters: a mother and father with their two sons, Ivan Ivanovich and Pyotr Fyodorovich, an elderly lady surrounded by hangers-on and a bread roll seller. Suddenly the nose appears... In the confusion, they manage to catch it...
Scene 9 ... Kovalev´s apartment... The district constable brings Kovalev his Nose and, on receiving his reward, disappears... In vain, the major tries to put the Nose back on his face... A doctor arrives but is unable to help Kovalev...
... Kovalev and his friend Yaryzhkin suspect the guilty party to be staff-officer Podtochina, acting in revenge for Kovalev´s contempt for her daughter...
... The friends write a letter to Podtochina, which Ivan the footman delivers... ...Ivan returns with an answer and Kovalev understands that the women are innocent...
Scene 10 ... A street... A rumour is spreading over the city that Kovalev´s Nose has run away... The horrific tale has captured the imagination of the whole city: Everyone, including the eminent merchant Khorzev-Mirza, is discussing the event in the most animated fashion... Unexpectedly Major Kovalev joins the mêlée: his nose is exactly where it should be...