Although I confess that opera is not really my cup of tea, this Glyndebourne Festival Opera's staging of Janacek's turgid soaper is definitely minor opera, minorly staged. Fuzzy pastels and overwrought music provide the backdrop for this Czech tale of unrequited love. Nancy Gustafson as Katya, an unhappily married woman who suffers the dual torments of a milksop husband and a tyrannical mother-in-law. After a whole lot of shrill and cliché-ridden soul-searching (part of the problem may be due to the fact that not all of the dialogue is subtitled), Katya finally caves in and has an affair with Boris. Eventually, Katya's hubby and Mommie Not-So-Dearest catch wind of the illicit liaison and the opera careens into its tragic conclusion. I don't know about opera lovers, but I can safely say that here there wasn't a wet eye in the house. Not a necessary purchase. (Available from: Home Vision, 5547 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60640-1199; 1-800-262-8600.)
Katya Kabanova
(1988) In Slovak w/English subtitles. 100 m. $39.95 ($49.95 w/public performance rights). Home Vision. Color cover. Vol. 6, Issue 4
Katya Kabanova
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