Janáček: Káťa Kabanová

Corinne Winters (Kát’a), Evelyn Herlitzius (Kabanicha), David Butt Philip (Boris), Jaroslav Březina (Tichon), Jarmila Balážová (Varvara), Benjamin Hulett (Váňa), Jens Larsen (Dikój)

Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Staatsopernchor, Jakub Hrůša, Barrie Kosky

Winters is utterly remarkable throughout, words and gestures always telling...Despite Kosky’s occasional idiosyncrasies, this is musically overwhelming. You really do need to hear it. — Gramophone Magazine, October 2023 More…

Release Date: 25th Aug 2023
Catalogue No: 809204
Label: Unitel Editions

Gramophone Magazine

October 2023

DVD/Blu-ray of the Month
Presto Recordings of the Year

Finalist 2023

Shortlisted - DVD/Blu-ray of the Year
International Classical Music Awards

2024

Winner - Video Opera
Gramophone Magazine

Critics' Choice 2023

Janáček: Káta Kabanová

Corinne Winters (Kát’a), Evelyn Herlitzius (Kabanicha), David Butt Philip (Boris), Benjamin Hulett (Váňa), Jaroslav Březina (Tichon), Jarmila Balážová (Varvara), Jens Larsen (Dikój), Wiener Staatsoper
Wiener Philharmoniker
Jakub Hrůša

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Janácek’s opera Káta Kabanová is set in a small Russian town and is based on the play The Storm by Aleksandr Ostrovsky. The story revolves around the central character, Káta – sung by 'the phenomenal Corinne Winters' (Neue Musikzeitung) – who is trapped in a loveless marriage to a man named Tichon. Despite her unhappiness, she is bound by the strict societal norms of her time and is unable to escape the situation. However, when she meets and falls in love with a young man named Boris, she finally experiences happiness and passion. But their relationship is short-lived, as Tichon finds out and forces Káta to confess her infidelity in front of the entire town. Overwhelmed by the shame and guilt, she drowns herself in the nearby river. 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 Kát'a’s wonder and vulnerability.' (The New York Times) 'Corinne Winters is 'Kát'a Kabanova': 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)

Reviews

October 2023

Winters is utterly remarkable throughout, words and gestures always telling...Despite Kosky’s occasional idiosyncrasies, this is musically overwhelming. You really do need to hear it.

International Classical Music Awards 2024

Both orchestra and the staging are excellent – it grabs and keeps our attention throughout the work – but Corinna Winter’s stunning voice and performance in the title role is what makes this excellent recording truly unforgettable.

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Janáček: Káťa Kabanová

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