Janácek: Katya Kabanova (Live 2-SACD) – Sir Simon Rattle

Composer: Leoš Janácek
Artists: Amanda Majeski, Simon O'Neill, Katarina Dalayman, London Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle
Number of Discs: 2
Label: LSO Live
Release Date: January 1, 2024

The LSO’s concert stagings of classic operas always make headlines, and this one was no different. The second release in LSO Live’s cycle of Janácek opera recordings, Katya Kabanova tells a story of love, entrapment and, ultimately, tragedy. Captured live at the Barbican in January 2023 under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, the cast includes the superb tenor Simon O’Neill and, appearing in one of her signature roles at the Royal Opera House, Amanda Majeski as Katya. 

Young, sensitive, and desperate for love, Katya is trapped in a remote country village with a bored husband and his snobbish family with no way out – until a summer thunderstorm changes everything. Uncompromisingly honest and pulsing with intensely human emotion, the story of Katya Kabanova is written in music that cuts straight to the chase. 

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