Janácek: Káta Kabanová (DVD) – Corinne Winters

Composer: Leoš Janácek
Artists: Corinne Winters, Evelyn Herlitzius, David Butt Philip, Benjamin Hulett, Jens Larsen, Jaroslav Brezina, Jarmila, Balážová, Michael Mofidian, Nicole Chirka, Ann-Kathrin Niemczyk, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Wiener Philharmoniker
Conductor: Jakub Hruša
Director: Barrie Kosky
Video Format: NTSC 16:9
Audio Format: PCM Stereo / DTS 5.0
Region: All Regions
Language: Czech
Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese
Number of Discs: 1
Studio: Unitel Edition
Release Date: August 25, 2023
Run Time: 100 minutes

Janácek’s opera Káta Kabanová is based on the play The Storm by Aleksandr Ostrovsky. Set in a small Russian town, the story revolves around Káta – sung by “the phenomenal Corinne Winters” (Neue Musikzeitung) – who is trapped in a loveless marriage to an abusive man named Boris. When she meets and falls in love with a young man named Vána Kudrjáš, she finally experiences happiness and passion. But their relationship is short-lived, as Boris finds out and forces Káta to confess her infidelity in front of the entire town. The opera explores themes of social conformity, oppression, and the consequences of forbidden love. 

Janácek’s use of musical leitmotifs and repetitive themes reflect the characters’ emotions and psychological states, adding depth and nuance to the story. Stage director Barrie Kosky managed to create an intimate but impressive setting in the magnificent Felsenreitschule. 

“Jittery and balletic, ecstatic and anxious, Winters has a child’s volatile presence, and her livewire voice conveys Káta’s wonder and vulnerability.” (The New York Times) 

“Corinne Winters is Káta Kabanová: a great, luminous longing from head to toe. With director Barrie Kosky and conductor Jakub Hruša, she makes the opera in Salzburg a triumph.” (Der Tagesspiegel)

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