Based on the novella of the same name by Nikolai Gogol, »The Nose« displays the early genius of the 22-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich. With dance tunes, balalaikas, Russian church music and classical music’s first pure percussion piece, »The Nose« is no less grotesque than the strange events it narrates: The nose of the collegiate assessor Kowaljow has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. Stage and Costume Designer Helmut Brade gives us a few glimpses into how this will look like on our opera stage.