The Idiot, based on the novel of the same title by Dostoyevsky, is Weinberg's final opera, composed during the mid-1980s.

This live recording from the Mannheim National Theatre in 2014 documents the production with which Weinberg's Idiot received its world premiere one year previously in Mannheim, unanimously celebrated by audiences and critics alike. The renowned specialists' journal Die Opernwelt even named the production "the performance of the year".

The Polish-Jewish composer Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996), who lost his family due to National Socialism, fled to Russia and, again, was later subjected to Stalinist persecution, was one of the unjustly forgotten composers of the 20th century until recently.

He left behind a considerable oeuvre and, since the advent of an impressive Renaissance during recent years, he is today considered one of the most important composers of the Soviet Union alongside Shostakovich and Prokofiev.

Cast:
- Myshkin: Juhan Tralla
- Rogozhin: Steven Scheschareg
- Nastassya Filippovna: Ludmila Slepneva
- Lebedjev: Lars Møller
- Totsky: Bryan Boyce
- Epanchin: Bartosz Urbanowicz
- Epanchina: Elzbieta Ardam
- Aglaya: Anne-Theresa Møller
- Alexandra: Tamara Banješević
- Ganya: Uwe Eikötter
- Warja: Tatjana Rjasanova
- Grinder: Jeongkon Choi