Features:
Description:
Kát'a Kabanová, Leos Janácek's 1921 tragedy, is proof if any were needed that tales of personal oppression and turmoil will always make fine raw material for opera composers. Janácek took Ostrovsky's tumultuous drama of infidelity, The Storm, and created a compelling piece in which his music heightens the relationship between the troubled landscape of the heroine's inner mind and the elements doing battle outside. In 100 minutes of intensely emotional operatic drama, this 1988 Glyndebourne Festival production successfully captures Kabanová's wretched journey from put-upon wife and daughter-in-law to suicide via the ecstasy of a forbidden love affair. At its heart, Janácek's unique tonal score underlines a powerful, almost naturalistic dialogue and exposes the impact of the experiences of Kát'a on her escalating self-destruction. Felicity Palmer's Kabanicha--the mother-in-law from hell and the real instrument of Kabanová's downfall--is curiously remote and muted rather than the domineering figure of fear that we might expect. But the singing, particularly by Nancy Gustafson (tremendously affecting and emotionally convincing in the title role) and Ryland Davies as Kabanová's weak husband Tichon, is outstanding. Gustafson's performance alone makes this essential viewing for anybody with a passion for the great modern soprano roles. --Piers Ford
| 
