Sorokin and Serebrennikov conquer Salzburg: Art despite summer cums!

Sorokin and Serebrennikov conquer Salzburg: Art despite summer cums!

On August 16, 2025, the staging of Wladimir Sorokin's novella "The Schnesturm" premiere in Salzburg and received warm final applause from the spectators. Director Kirill Serebrennikov, who lives in exile like Sorokin and is an open critic of Vladimir Putin, brought the story onto the stage. The actors August Diehl as Dr. Garin and Filipp Avdeev as a coachman Perkhusha presented an impressive performance, whereby Avdeev phonetically rehearsed his text because he does not speak German. Particularly noteworthy is also the released acting chief Marina Davydova, who is considered a support of Serebrennikov and published an essay about him in the program.

The amendment itself combines old Russian narrative motifs with science fiction. The action is about Dr. Garin, who wants to travel to an epidemic affected by an epidemic to find an expected antidote. His journey is accompanied by a coachman who drives through the night with a snowmobile. The staging, which takes a total of three hours, shows impressive episodes and uses a stage that consists of a ring-like carriage platform and glass helmets that project live images. A long table symbolizes a winter landscape and the sleigh ride in miniature.

The artistic message

Serebrennikov contributes some central elements of the book, but changes the name of the goal of Dr. Garin, which is called "Dolgoje" in the book "Langenweiler". The staging conveys the metaphor that the path is the goal and that overcoming difficulties is an essential life's work. Sorokin and Serebrennikov emphasize that art should be a moral guideline even in times of war. Her work invites you to think about the importance of art that can be translated as "knowledge, ability" and is deeply rooted in human experiences.

The further performance will take place in Salzburg until August 26, followed by the premiere in Düsseldorf on September 12th.