---

Programme Note

Synopsis:
The opera tells the story of The Wife and ‘I’, though the events do not necessarily take place in chronological order. In Soviet Russia, The Wife and ‘I’ decide to invite Vova, an idiot from the lunatic asylum to come and live with them. At first Vova’s behaviour is violent and disgusting. However when he copulates with The Wife, he becomes calmer and ‘I’ is sent off to live in another room on his own. When The Wife becomes pregnant, she aborts the child. Vova is enraged and moves to the room where ‘I’ lives, leaving The Wife to fend for herself. When The Wife comes to reclaim Vova, he decapitates her with a pair of kitchen scissors, to the disturbing excitement of ‘I’.