To be counted in the future to the great opera houses of the world The world-famous Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, which has reasonable ambition, recently founded his own label ("Mariinsky") and starts the same with a sensational production. Shostakovich's early masterpiece by Nikolai Gogol biting satire was discounted graphically hitherto neglected: For more than a quarter century, the work was not included. Valerie Gergiev and the wonderful artists of the Mariinsky Theatre reward the long wait with an excellent, setting new standards in recording that can only be described as a future reference recording of this opera of the early Shostakovich. Votes, spatial orientation and dynamics have been added skilfully. Next, a recording of the 1st and the 15th Symphony of Shostakovich, incidentally, appear this autumn. Then it will be interesting to the excellent first release of the new label already.