Salzburg Festival: The Idiot

“This “Idiot’” has the whole of Salzburg on the edge of its seat” (Presse). And with good reason – it is rare that every aspect of a performance falls so perfectly into place. Despite being only the third production of Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Idiot, it is sure to go down as a significant milestone in its performance history. In bringing to life the story of Prince Myshkin, a true-hearted outsider navigating the society of St. Petersburg, director Krzysztof Warlikowski focuses on distilling the multi-faceted personalities of the underlying Dostoevsky novel. This results in unerringly precise character studies, drawing the audience into the inner lives of the protagonists – “the direction of the actors is a stroke of genius” (Kurier). Giving her debut at the podium of the Wiener Philharmoniker, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla is an ideal ambassador for Weinberg, performing “a miracle of vivid sound-making, full of detail and excitement” (Kronenzeitung). The cast of singers excels dramatically as well as vocally: Ausrine Stundyte “magnificently triumphant” (NZZ) as the ill-fated Nastasya, Vladislav Sulimsky “reliably frenzied” (SZ) as Rogozhin, Xenia Puskarz Thomas “a discovery” (SN) as Aglaya, as well as Iurii Samoilov as Lébedyev with an incredibly “strong stage presence” (SN). Above all, Bogdan Volkov seems to not only portray titular “Idiot”,  but transform into him on the stage of the Felsenreitschule: the young tenor fills the role of Myshkin with life and suffering in a magnificent way” (Presse). Bogdan Volkov disappears fully into his role - this ‘Idiot’ is truly “so good it hurts” (Financial Times).

A triumph all around.