Katia Kabanova

The oppressive atmosphere before a storm and the tragic fate of a tormented young woman form the indivisible elements of Katia Kabanova The operas action is set in a small Russian village around 1860 and represents the annihilation and subsequent suicide of Katerina Kabanova a sensitive young woman married to a weak man and bullied by her motherinlaw who is searching for liberation through love and ends her life consumed by remorse for her infidelity The storys common denominator is the Volga river a witness of the main characters hapless family relations and her frustrated passion and in whose merciful waters she finally finds peace The adaptation into the Czech language of Ostrovskys tragic play The Storm allowed Janáček to create one of his most outstanding operas in which the conciseness and intensity of the musical language are merged with the dramatic force of his libretto This is the Teatro Madrid Production Recorded in December 2008