Dmitry Shostakovich-About Himself and His Times

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My general impressions of the première were good. Both the music and the stagecraft in the production were of a high quality. I particularly liked the conductor, Edward Downes, who is undoubtedly a splendid musician. Downes, by the way, translated the libretto into English, and though it is hard to me to judge, it seems to have been done well. A special word of praise is due for Marie Colliere, who was in the leading role. She is a marvellous actress, with a beautiful voice, and managed to convey the tragedy of Katerina’s predicament with great skill. / The work was done conscientiously, and it turned out to be a good, integrated production. Much credit for this is due to the producer, Vlado Habunek, and the artist, Božidar Rasič, who were invited to Covent Garden from the Zagrev Opera. My arrival also helped to put right all the inaccuracies in their reading of the score and interpretation of the characters. I have to admit that I had butterflies in the stomach on the way to London – you have to understand the Russian soul well in order to put across the meaning of the opera accurately. Fortunately, my fears proved to be unfounded…

excerpt from 'Dmitry Shostakovich-About Himself and His Times' pp. 245 (207 words)

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