This opera is based on a polish radio play written by Zofia Posmysz, a survivor of Auschwitz. The original libretto for the opera was written in Russian. The opera was written in 1968 by Mieczyslaw Weinberg, but the Russian censors deemed it inappropriate so it was not performed for the first time until 2010. The first performance was at the Bregenz festival in Austria for a production by David Pountney in which he had the libretto translated into seven languages, so that each character in the opera would speak and/or sing in its native tongue.
Passazhirka guide sections
