The Nose

I am really looking forward to seeing The Nose at the Met Opera this Tuesday. The story was written by Gogol, music by Shostakovich, and the direction and set design are by South African artist William Kentridge, which is the most exciting part.

I believe my first introduction to Kentridge was around 1997, visiting the old Guggenheim Soho. He was nominated for the Hugo Boss award. I briefly caught his now famous animated film Ubu Tells the Truth . To be honest, I was more intrigued by the work of Pippilotti Rist at that show, but Kentridge has since captured my attention. Please do check out both these artists...I could devote an entire blog to either!

I was recently lucky enough to see Kentridge speak at Cooper Union (the right before my birthday and the big blizzard) and he was one of the most engaging and articulate artists I have ever seen speak. He certainly has a command over his concepts and has a clear directorial intent for this production. Of course I went and bought my tickets to the opera that day.

I've heard mixed, but generally good reviews of the production. I look forward to seeing what a visual artist does with a musical/stage piece. I love the idea of posthumous collaboration (I think I just made that up) of the greats. Gogol and Kentridge, separated in time but perhaps equally absurd in their own ways and each providing commentary on their respective cultures...