The Nose/Angers-Nantes Opéra, Théâtre Graslin, Nantes

By Francis Carlin
Published: December 22 2004 13:05 | Last updated: December 22 2004 13:05

Now merged with nearby Angers, Nantes is still flying the flag of artistic courage and digging out overlooked jewels. True, this exemplar of Shostakovitch's enfant terrible years is a guest production from Lausanne, but it took courage to programme a work with some 70 sung roles.

The wonder is that some richer French house did not snap up this sensational production from the tandem of Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser. It is, by a long chalk, the best thing I've seen in France all year.

Shostakovitch's score is a frantic laboratory of musical invention. This brazen showing off would quickly become tiresome if Shostakovitch's ideas were not so fascinating and varied.

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