Katia Kabanova

Leoš Janáček Katia Kabanova opera to libretto by the composer. Directed 2008 by Robert Carsen at the Teatro Real in Madrid. Stars Oleg Bryjak, Miroslav Dvorský, Dalia Schaechter, Guy De Mey, Karita Mattila, Gordon Gietz, Natascha Petrinksy, Marco Moncloa, Itxaro Mentxaka, and María José Suárez. Jiří Bělohlávek conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Real with choir master Peter Burian. Sets and costumes by Patrick Kinmonth; lighting by Robert Carsen and Peter van Praet; choreography by Philippe Giraudeau; television direction by François Roussillon. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+

I was bowled over by this production in Blu-ray. So I was puzzled by the bad review it got from Nigel Simeone in the February 2011 International Record Review. Simeone is vastly better qualified than I to compare this production with legacy material. He found it too austere, chilly, and lacking in "claustrophobia." To me all the modern design decisions embedded in this production reinforced the psychological claustrophobia that destroyed poor Katia. I note that Simeone was apparently not even aware that this is available in Blu-ray. Would be have liked it better if he had the opportunity to see it clearly? Probably not, so I look forward to getting a high definition verison of this in a traditional costume drama setting.