Oliver von Dohnányi on the style of The Passenger:

Weinberg’s first opera “The Passenger” which became his favorite operatic work strikes with its symphonic scope and dramatic depth. It has a specific operatic style which continues in his subsequent stage works (for example, in the opera “The Portrait”). The whole music world of “The Passenger” is divided into two parts and the composer doesn’t know compromises in that.

The extreme of positive heroes, Marta and the prisoners speaking different musical languages, is a world of exquisite lyrical music where we hear folk lingering melodies and laments, and solo violin, and the mournful sound of the choir. The climactic piece of the opera dramaturgy is the famous “Chaconne” by Bach, which has become an absolute icon to the musical world, a symbol of strength and hope for eternal life, of contact with the divine world and salvation of the righteous.

At the other extreme is the world of evil, which doesn’t have “live” music and long lyrical melodies associated with soul and spirit.

This music is written using a rational method of dodecaphony. Snatches of conversation, clatter of drums, roar of low tones, scraps of an official march and a cheeky jazz distorted with rhythm breakages against this background.

It’s amazing how with the help of music the composer shows moments of fear, obsession, guilt and terrible memory awakening in Lisa, a former warden. Being a really brilliant representative of the ´60s Weinberg builds his music through a dialogue with the public and their cultural memory, using polystylistics and presenting genre, style and tone as symbols and signs constituting important semantic layers.

Thaddeus Strassberger on The Passenger:

I’m glad to be back in Ekaterinburg after “Satyagraha” and begin working on ¨The Passenger”. First of all I want to note that for me the new opera is a kind of continuation of “Satyagraha”, because in many respects it is connected with its ideas of freedom and tolerance. Another thing both operas have in common is that they aren’t made for fun and enjoyment, their purport is to involve the public in a dialogue.

I had a lot of ideas for the future production and the meeting with Zofia Posmysz helped me to decide on what should and what shouldn’t be done. I realized that being a true story ¨The Passenger” isn’t documentary evidence and, therefore, does not necessarily have to draw on the experience of one person.

I spent a few days in Auschwitz, and then decided that I wouldn’t create an interpretation of the concentration camp. It is a place with real history, with this spirit, so all I need is just to find a way to recreate the atmosphere of the scene. On returning to my studio in London, I tried to convert the experience into something that we could build on the theatrical stage.

As for the action which takes place on the ship, the setting isn’t so important for me. What I really need is to make the audience feel movement from one place to the other and to show isolation of the heroes at the same time. Liese is on the ship as if trapped. While sailing free in open sea, she remains imprisoned in her memoirs and a hostage of her own conscience.

Vita Tzykun on The Passenger:

I believe that this story is universal, and it is very important to talk about it right now. The further we move away from those years, the more polarized the society becomes. Everything gets simplified in the world, depth goes away. All are divided into good and bad, into ours and others and this is a very dangerous trend.

As soon as some people begin to consider themselves superior to and better than the rest, even admit the idea of superiority over others, we face the risk of finding ourselves on the threshold of an Auschwitz. After all, what really happened in Auschwitz? People had their personal characteristics washed down, they had their individuality denied. It was then and now it is happening with us again — it is very important that people should open their eyes to it.

I was tempted to dress all the Auschwitz prisoners in a uniform and show people like a flock. Instead I try to emphasize individuality of the characters and to tell that each of those who remained in Auschwitz forever was unique and beautiful in his/her way. Each had his/her past and present in the concentration camp, and only few of them had the future.

Like Zofia Posmysz, for instance, who survived in spite of everything and told us the story.

My personal mission is to convey the uniqueness of each character and each participant in the story and to show that people cannot be turned into a herd, and it does not matter where we come from. This is the main message which I strive to convey as an artist and as a person.

Chorus Master/Director

Graduated from the Urals Mussorgsky Conservatoire in 1994 (class of Prof. T.Matveeva). When a student appeared with Domestique Choir and upon graduation left for Bashkiria where she taught at a musical school in the town of Oktzabrsky. Prize-winner of all-Russian competitions as chorus conductor and of international competitions as chorus master.

Joined the Ekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theatre as a chorus master in 2011 to become executive Chief Chorus Master in 2012 and Chief Chorus Master since February 2014. Grozina was executive Chorus Master on new productions of the following operas: Le comte Ory, Satyagraha, Der fliegende Holländer, Eugene Onegin, Boris Godunov and Carmen. As Chorus Master/Director Grozina worked on the operas Othello and Rigoletto as well as all the repertoire concerts with the participation of the choir.