SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA  REVIEW
 

Janacek,  Katia Kabanova:  Soloists, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, Coro de la Ópera de Oviedo. Conductor: Maximiano Valdés. Teatro Campoamor de Oviedo. 23.11.2010 (JMI)

Production Opera North.

 

Direction:Tim Albery (Original)

Frederic David Wake-Walker (Revival)

Sets and Costumes: Hildegard Bechtler.

Lighting: Peter Mumford.

 

Cast:

 

Katia Kabanova: Janice Watson.

Kabanicha: Agnes Zwierko.

Boris: Ludovit Ludha.

Tichon: Guy de Mey.

Varvara: Stella Grigorian.

Kudriach: Finnur Bjarnason.

Dikoj: Vladimir Matorin.

Kuliguin: José Manuel Diaz.

Glasha: Gleisy Lovillo.

Feklusa: María José Suárez.

Production Picture © carlospictures

Katia Kabanova is one of the most performed operas by Leos Janacek and is undoubtedly one of his finest works. This opera requires three excellent combined elements, an excellent musical reading, a great interpreter in the title role and, finally, a good stage production in order to reveal all of its potential and all three happened to exist, for example, Robert Carsen's production at the Teatro Real two years ago.  The people responsible for each of the necessary elements then were Jiri Belolahvek, Karita Mattila and Robert Carsen himself and the results was truly excellent.  In Oviedo,  two of the three elements came out below level required, and this Kabanova - in which only  the stage work was good - was unfortunately less than satisfactory.

 

The production is by Tim Albery and comes from Opera North, where it was premiered in April 2007. The stage direction is  simple and adequate, in a very dark and oppressive atmosphere around the protagonist. A simple set with plain walls and costumes in grey and dark greens is a good complement to the very oppressive aspects of the action in which  Peter Mumford's atmospheric lighting plays an important role. Tim Albery moves the action to the 1920s from 1860, the time chosen in Ostrovsky's novel "The Storm" on which the libretto is based.  Personenregie is good and sober throughout, making good use of the silent group of neighbours, who are ever watchful of Katia’s behaviour.  The storm scene itself however and also Katia’s character are  not very well outlined, although whether this is due to the  direction or to Janice Watson's interpretation is difficult to say,  since Katia has to transmit both sensuality and compassion to make  her reactions completely intelligible, and this is not always fully achieved. Even so,  there is some excellent stage work here.

Janacek operas are not easy for conductors or orchestras of less than first rank levels and many theatres commission real specialists for this music. In Oviedo however, we had the Chilean conductor Maximiano Valdés  and the local  who together offered a reading which  I found rather bland and lacking in ability to convey the score's huge emotional palette to the audience. This same conductor and orchestra were much better in Jenufa five years ago.

 

Katia Kabanova is not an easy character to play, since there are big emotions to express and it is far from easy to give credibility to a psychologically immature character, overwhelmed by the outside world. In short, the role requires a great artist, both as singer and actress who is a genuinely charismatic performer. Good as  Janice Watson can be she is not quite in the same league as Karita Mattila although her  performance was never less than  engaging.

 

The rest of the characters in this opera are of a much lesser importance. Polish mezzo soprano Agnes Zwierko replaced the previously announced Judith Forst, as a somewhat monolithic Kabanicha with a sonorous middle voice but not many nuances.  Ludovit Ludha is one of the most experienced tenors in this repertoire, but his voice, his figure and his stage skills are not especially suitable  for the role of Boris:  it was hard for the audience in Oviedo to see why Katia should lose her head over him. Veteran Guy de Mey was correct as Tichon, but he didn’t very much to the drama on stage,and seemed more like  a brother - not to say a father – than a son to the Kabanicha. Finnur Bjarnason was a good Kudriach,  and Vladimir Matorin was an excellent Dikoj, showing off his powerful bass voice and his stage skills once again.  Finally, mezzo soprano Stella Grigorian was a good Varvara.

There was full theatre but  a rather tepid and polite reaction from  the audience. The final applause lasted for under four minutes.

José M Irurzun