Once again, I went to Magdeburg to see this opera. Given my penchant for the visceral, the complex, and the avant-garde, Alfred Schnittke’s Life with an Idiot (Жизнь с идиотом) is a choice that aligned remarkably well with my "high-octane" musical palate.
Life with an Idiot is a two-act opera that premiered in 1992, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Based on a short story by Viktor Yerofeyev, it serves as a savage, absurdist allegory for the Soviet experience and the inherent self-destructiveness of the human condition. The protagonist, "I," has committed a vague, unspecified crime against "the people." His punishment is not prison, but a mandatory house guest: he must choose an "idiot" from a mental asylum to live with his family. Accompanied by the Guard, "I" visits an asylum. He rejects various candidates until he finds Vova. Vova can only say one word: "Ekh!" (a Russian exclamation). Despite Vova’s obvious lack of social utility, "I" brings him home, convinced that living with a "holy fool" will provide some form of spiritual redemption or intellectual curiosity.
Life with Vova quickly turns into a nightmare of filth and violence. Vova tears up the wife’s books, defecates on the floor, and eventually seduces both "I" and the Wife. The domestic hierarchy collapses into a ménage à trois of misery. The Wife becomes pregnant by Vova, but in a fit of rage, Vova kills her (cutting off her head with a straight razor). By the end, "I" has lost his mind and effectively replaced Vova as the "idiot," while Vova disappears back into the bureaucracy that birthed him.
Schnittke’s score is a masterclass in musical irony. Because I enjoy Xenakis and Ligeti, I find the textural density familiar, but Schnittke uses it to mock the listener. The orchestration includes a prominent harpsichord (evoking a decayed Baroque sensibility) and heavy percussion. The use of the flexatone creates an eerie, "sliding" discomfort. The "I" and "Wife" parts are demanding, often leaping into extreme registers to signal hysteria. Vova, however, is restricted to "Ekh!", which Schnittke treats with rhythmic variation to make it sound by turns pathetic, aggressive, and mocking. And of course, given that this is a Schnittke piece after all, this is a prime example of Polystylism. There are Russian Orthodox hymns, nursery rhymes, and even a twisted tango. Schnittke uses these "familiar" sounds as "trash": objects found in the gutter of history and repurposed to show the decay of culture.
I actually saw the German version: my husband who has more familiarity with Russian culture actually recognised so many references to Soviet and Russian cultural aspects, which I missed. Nevertheless, the German surtitles definitely felt rather Brechtian to me. And yes, overall I enjoyed it. Schnittke provides that same uncompromising sonic intensity in works that I enjoy, e.g. Xenakis, Penderecki, and Gubaidulina. My additional interest in operas that engage with historical figures and political philosophy also ensures that Vova-as-Lenin is right up my alley.
So yes, it was absolutely worth it to go all the way to Magdeburg for this one.
