The title protagonist, Dmitry Golovnin, whose brilliantly piercing tenor expressively rang and wailed throughout, balanced by the darker expressivity of Rogózhin (Dmitry Cheblykov)’s baritone. While this could easily feel interminable, the cast is a feast of Russian and Slavic voices to relish. Throughout the evening we return again and again, Groundhog Day-style, to the opening scene on the train: two children playing catch Myshkin dropping his cards and clutching a large sac and Rogózhin, a young merchant violently smitten by the dazzling Nastasya, with the sneaky gossip Lébedyev never far away. The windows alternately reflect endless motion forwards through the winter landscape or reveal the interiority of characters, thanks to tasteful video projections by Christian Borchers. Beautifully directed, the train first introduces us to Myshkin, who is traveling to St Petersburg after being treated for intense epilepsy in Switzerland, but rotates throughout the evening into any number of settings and backdrops. This becomes an essential Leitmotif, underpinning the entire production. In Vasily Barkhatov's new production at MusikTheater an der Wien, the curtain opens on a long train, a stroke of genius by stage designer Christian Schmidt, atmospherically lit by Alexander Sivaev.
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