The audio spectacle "Brodsky. Trial" draws from the transcripts recorded by writer and journalist Frida Vigderova during the court proceedings. As the creators of this project emphasize, these materials are regarded as a vital reference point for Soviet samizdat—a symbol of dissent and underground resistance.
"Brodsky. Trial" is a reconstruction of events, fashioned with cinematic principles but devoid of images, highlighting the creative vision of director and writer Savva Saveliev.
"I was fascinated by this young Brodsky, arrested and tried for vagrancy. This is not yet the Brodsky we know. He’s just 23, living modestly in a small apartment with his parents, pouring his soul into poetry. Suddenly, he finds himself caught in the machinery of a system—where witnesses for the prosecution are strangers, who do not personally know him. Where the court becomes a blind tribunal. Where his voice is silenced, and the evidence of his innocence, along with the absurdity of the charges, is dismissed."
Yakov Gordin recalls that during the trial, Brodsky behaved with detachment and calmness. These observations became pivotal in shaping our approach to the courtroom reconstruction. Here, Brodsky is not yet the familiar figure we recognize; he is different. Conversely, the judge, prosecutors, and witnesses—those figures—appear painfully recognizable.
I hope that those who favor audio and video formats over reading will experience Frida Vigderova’s court recordings anew. And for those familiar with this archive, I invite you to hear it for the first time. Such an exact reconstruction of that courtroom moment may never be recreated again.
— Savva Saveliev