by FoM VIENNA, Austria - I've managed to see at least one performance at the Staatsoper during each of my previous two trips to Vienna. The building, which was built in grand, Impreial style in the 1860's, drips with history: this is where Mahler famously made his name and where Herbert von Karajan made it the world-class company it is today, producing 50 to 60 operas per year in approximately 200 performances.

So, a week ago Friday, I made my way back to the Staatsoper to see Leoš Janáček's dark, late opera "From the House of the Dead," based on the novella by Dostoyevsky. (You can read my post about the Met's 2009 production here.) While the music was lush and powerful - many members of the orchestra also play in the Vienna Philharmonic - the production (directed by Peter Konwitschny) was unnecessarily provocative, symptomatic of the sort of "Eurotrash" one can only hope will never take hold in this country. Tranferring the set from a Russian prison to a posh men's club, there were go-go dancers on stripper poles, muscle-boys with glitter on their chiseled chests, and booze everywhere. Later on, the prisoners tuxedos and white shirts were all stained with massive amounts of blood. It made no sense, and the audience justly greeted it lukewarmly (save for the idiot in standing room who shouted "Bravo" after the Act 2 orgy finally ended.)

The performance, which was performed without intermission, was led by the Staatsoper's music director Franz Welser-Möst: an Austrian who splits most of his time these days between Vienna and Cleveland. Among the standout soloists were Christopher Maltman in the role of Schischkow and Michael Roider as Schapkin. And, while the production may have been lacking, it was - and always will be - a privilege to be back in the Staatsoper.

More pics on the photo page.