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Kát’a Kabanová, the first premiere of the season
The Mikhailovsky Theatre presents a new production of a lyrical opera by Leoš Janáček, the renowned Czech composer of the 20th century.


Kát’a Kabanová, based on the famous play by Alexander Ostrovsky The Storm, is a tragic story of a woman who is torn between revolt and obedience, a story of doomed passion. The action is set in the small Russian town of Kalinov on the Volga river. The main character — Katerina — has to choose between forbidden love and the yoke of marriage, striving to break away from prejudices and solitude. Water as a symbol of natural forces and passion with its two poles (the river and the storm) plays an important role in the production. The storm tears Katerina apart, the river swallows her up and gives her eternal peace.

Janáček repeatedly turned to Russian literature: the theme of the tragic fate of women was continued in Janáček’s unfinished opera Anna Karenina. The composer frequented Russia, loved to listen to the melody of Russian speech, learn Russian songs; however, his compositions don’t have direct relationship with Russian folklore. As a composer he was much influenced by Mikhail Glinka, Alexander Dargomyzhsky, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

The music of the opera is truthful, highly emotional and vivacious. Against the gloomy background of cruelty and illiteracy of the Russian countryside Janáček created the arresting character of Katerina. It’s not by chance that the main melodic line is played by flute with its clear, bucolic timber. Katerina’s monologue and the scenes with Boris are claimed to be the best among lyrical opera scenes of the 20th century.

The stage director Niels-Peter Rudolph shows the essence of Katerina’s drama. His characters are ordinary flesh and blood people with their shortcomings and weaknesses. The contemporary production of our international team promises to demonstrate European style: minimalistic stage design by Volker Hintermeier stresses the drama of the action and refined art-deco costumes by Susanne Bühler immediately draw attention to the main characters.

The musical director and conductor of the production is Peter Feranec. The Mikhailovsky Opera soloist Anna Nechaeva will appear as Katerina. The premiere of the opera is scheduled for 16 and 18 December 2010.