by MIECZYSŁAW WEINBERG

“A perfect masterpiece…”
—Dmitri Shostakovich

“…harrowing and powerful…”
—Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times

“…an experience in the theater that is not to be missed.”
—John von Rhein, The Chicago Tribune

Mieczysław Weinberg was a Warsaw-born Polish Jew who lost his parents and a sister to the Holocaust. He wrote this first of his seven operas in Moscow, to which he escaped (on foot) in 1939 at the eruption of World War II. He died in 1996 without having seen his opera performed. Much of his music was suppressed by the Soviet authorities during his lifetime be resurfaced in performances and recordings.

The opera tells the story of Liese (formerly a warden in Auschwitz), on an ocean liner with her husband, who is en route to a new diplomatic post in Brazil. She is stunned to see one of the other "passengers," believing her to be a prisoner from Auschwitz. Her husband knows nothing of her past, and Liese finds herself in a harrowing situation.

Florida Grand Opera will present the production that premiered at the Bregenz Festival in 2010. Its tiered design contrasts the luxury of the ocean liner with the despair of Auschwitz, while the middle is reserved for a male chorus that attempts to make sense of the unfolding horrors. This South Florida premiere will be one of the most important musical events of the year.

Sung in multiple languages with English and Spanish projected titles

Photo © Lynn Lane for Houston Grand Opera

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