Millionen; Der Tod des Iwan Lande: Zwei Novellen

The story opens on a moon‑lit night where a flamboyant seaside fête unfolds under a haze of lanterns that dance like fire‑kissed hummingbirds. Mishujew, a towering figure with a blond beard and haunted eyes, watches the merrymaking from a marble table, his silence contrasting with the boisterous musicians and laughing guests. The luminous sea and the indifferent sky frame his inner sense of alienation, hinting at a man caught between outward spectacle and a deeper, unspoken dread.

At his side is Maria Sergejewna, now called Mary, whose beauty still commands attention but whose relationship with Mishujew has grown cold and unsettling. Their walk along the shore reveals a fragile connection, a mixture of longing and a growing, inexplicable revulsion that threatens to unravel both. As the first act closes, listeners are invited into a world where decadence masks a haunting search for meaning, setting the stage for the moral and existential conflicts that will follow.