Janáček’s masterpiece of love, adultery and stifling societal convention comes to Melbourne. Based on Ostrovsky’s play The Storm, Katya is a passionate woman trapped in a dull, loveless marriage. When her husband goes away on business, the opportunity for a brief romance with an outsider leaves her wrestling with her conscience and the potential censure of a provincial town. Alexander Briger, a noted Janáček specialist, conducts Heather Fairbairn’s new production with Desiree Frahn as the fragile Katya, Andrew Goodwin as her lover Boris, Michael Petruccelli as her weak-willed husband and Antoinette Halloran as her tyrannical mother-in-law.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

In a provincial town, Katya’s dull, loveless life is made worse by her tyrannical mother-in-law, Kabanicha. She longs for freedom and, when her husband leaves on business, she is swept into a brief but passionate romance with an outsider, Boris, who has loved Katya from afar. When her husband returns, she finds herself tormented by her guilty conscience and the pressures of society.

Katya Kabanova is a turbulent love story by Czech composer Leoš Janáček that does not shy away from raw, human feeling. Anguish, resolve, guilt and love are put on full, inescapable display via impressive audio-visual effects and powerful performances from the cast.

Janáček’s score is famously lyrical. Inspired by Slavic folk songs, the score captures beauty and tragedy in equal measures and will remain with you long after the curtain has fallen.