Diary of a madman (Записки сумасшедшего)
A one-act opera based on the short story by Nikolai Gogol
Lowbrow Opera Collective produced Diary of a Madman at 18th & Union in Seattle, Washington from November 18-21, 2021. The opera also received a production at Amherst College in 2012.
Diary of a Madman (Записки сумасшедшего), a 2015 Semi-Finalist for The American Prize in the Opera/Theater/Film Division, is based on the short Russian story of the same name by Nikolai Gogol. Set in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1835, the opera follows the descent of a low-ranking Russian official--Aksentiy Ivanovich Poprischin, the "Madman"--into the madness and despair Gogol hauntingly depicted in diary format almost two centuries ago.
Music and libretto by: Dana Kaufman
Instrumentation: Three Sopranos, Baritone, Bass-Baritone, Two Pianos
Duration: ca. 45’
Language: English and Russian
World premiere: Amherst College, January 28, 2012
