Teatr Wielki and Opera Narodowa Present KATYA KABANOVA, 9/16

The libretto of Katya Kabanova was written in 1921 and based on The Storm - a play by Alexander Ostrovsky that was very popular at the time. It tells the tragic story of Katya, the young wife of Tikhon Kabanov, a man with a domineering mother who controls the entire household. Jana?ek created the prototype of a tragically lonely, independent woman with a strong sense of self. For her opposition to narrow-mindedness and an unhealthy matriarchy, for her right to freedom, Katya pays the highest price. Katya Kabanova is an extraordinarily emotional work, filled with melodic tenderness and fiery passion. This is the first production of the opera at Poland's national opera house. The project is the effect of a collaboration between the Polish National Opera and the English National Opera. The director, David Alden, is one of the most fascinating and famous directors of opera in the world today.

Opera in three acts
Libretto: Leoš Janá?ek after Alexandr Ostrovsky's play The Storm
World premiere: Národní Divadlo, Brno, 23 November 1921
Polish premiere: Opera Dolno?l?ska, Wroc?aw, 3 December 1978
English National Opera, London: 15 March 2010
Warsaw premiere: 25 April 2010
In the Original Czech

Duration: 1 hr 40 min. (without intermission)

Conductor: Tomáš Hanus
Direction: David Alden
Set Designer: Charles Edwards
Costumes: Jon Morrell
Chorus Master: Bogdan Gola
Lights: Adam Silverman
Movement: Maxine Braham

Co-production: English National Opera, London

Chorus and Orchestra of the Polish National Opera, Extras

For more information, visit http://www.teatrwielki.pl/en/current_listings.html.