Debut of the original opera Transgression by composer and University of Kentucky Professor of Russian Studies Gerald Janecek.
To distill the complex psychology and plot of Crime and Punishment into a two-hour opera requires considerably greater adjustment, than turning it into a play, since the libretto has to be even more succinct than a script for the work…On the other hand, Dostoevsky's well-known polyphonic dialogism lends itself to operatic treatment by providing many opportunities for vocal ensemble as well as highly emotional scenes…The new title, Transgression, conveys the key image of "stepping over the limit" and suggests the motivic image of the door threshold…the door to the pawnbroker's apartment, to Raskolnikov's garret, to Porphiry's office and to Sonya's flat…
– Gerald Janecek (Composer)